I hear ya. I get so tired about hearing who's the best. Take your example, basketball. Fifty years ago it was Jerry West. Then it was Julius Irving. Then Kareem. Then Larry Bird/Magic Johnson. Then Michael Jordan. Now some KING in Cleveland. The best always seems to be whatever is happening now. It's a joke. The best ever? At their job? That's easy.......SANDY KOUFAX.
@ricko said:
A question without an answer..... Sure, a lot of opinions have been offered...and with degrees of justification. However, there are no defining parameters, and without such information, no degree of finality can be achieved. Greatness can be defined in several ways... volume, quality, content... and then we can add things such as intellectual contributions and character. This is not something that can be defined by a competition such as sports - which, only defines the best at that moment. I believe that those (such as mentioned above) form a collective in the hobby that demonstrates many notable achievements - and certainly worthy of comment. Cheers, RickO
This tread was not intended to have an answer. It was intended to knock on a current collector.
@ricko said:
A question without an answer..... Sure, a lot of opinions have been offered...and with degrees of justification. However, there are no defining parameters, and without such information, no degree of finality can be achieved. Greatness can be defined in several ways... volume, quality, content... and then we can add things such as intellectual contributions and character. This is not something that can be defined by a competition such as sports - which, only defines the best at that moment. I believe that those (such as mentioned above) form a collective in the hobby that demonstrates many notable achievements - and certainly worthy of comment. Cheers, RickO
This tread was not intended to have an answer. It was intended to knock on a current collector.
I started this thread and can say unequivocally it was not "intended to knock on a current collector." Very few things I say are 100% wrong but since it's my OP I can say you are 100% wrong.
@ricko said:
A question without an answer..... Sure, a lot of opinions have been offered...and with degrees of justification. However, there are no defining parameters, and without such information, no degree of finality can be achieved. Greatness can be defined in several ways... volume, quality, content... and then we can add things such as intellectual contributions and character. This is not something that can be defined by a competition such as sports - which, only defines the best at that moment. I believe that those (such as mentioned above) form a collective in the hobby that demonstrates many notable achievements - and certainly worthy of comment. Cheers, RickO
This tread was not intended to have an answer. It was intended to knock on a current collector.
I started this thread and can say unequivocally it was not "intended to knock on a current collector." Very few things I say are 100% wrong but since it's my OP I can say you are 100% wrong.
Also, how cool is it that he was able to mortgage his house and go to Egypt to bid on coins? He couldn't have been married, right? Not a snowballs chance my wife would let me go to Egypt for an auction...much less mortgage the house for coins.
Oh yes, he was. He married his wife in the late 1930s and when he made the suggestion of mortgaging the house to finance the trip to Egypt, his wife was all for it. By the way, when he died, they had been married for 60 years.
@2ndCharter said: Also, how cool is it that he was able to mortgage his house and go to Egypt to bid on coins? He couldn't have been married, right? Not a snowballs chance my wife would let me go to Egypt for an auction...much less mortgage the house for coins.
Oh yes, he was. He married his wife in the late 1930s and when he made the suggestion of mortgaging the house to finance the trip to Egypt, his wife was all for it. By the way, when he died, they had been married for 60 years.
Are there any recommended books on him? I'd love to read more detail about everything surrounding him. The man himself, the events around the auction and leading up to it, more about farouk as well, and then how he did financially after doing something that seems so crazy.
@2ndCharter said: Also, how cool is it that he was able to mortgage his house and go to Egypt to bid on coins? He couldn't have been married, right? Not a snowballs chance my wife would let me go to Egypt for an auction...much less mortgage the house for coins.
Oh yes, he was. He married his wife in the late 1930s and when he made the suggestion of mortgaging the house to finance the trip to Egypt, his wife was all for it. By the way, when he died, they had been married for 60 years.
Are there any recommended books on him? I'd love to read more detail about everything surrounding him. The man himself, the events around the auction and leading up to it, more about farouk as well, and then how he did financially after doing something that seems so crazy.
I have looked for a book just on Pittman but haven't found any (just lots of articles and a chapter here and there in a book). Another facet about Pittman that was told to me buy a well known dealer---he never sold a coin. Almost every great collector at one time sold some of his coins---not Pittman.
We do indeed, Pete. Eliasberg had the only complete collection (of coins known at the time) ever assembled. He did not, however, differentiate between circulation strikes and proofs for some coins according to Wikipedia. I feel that this earns him the greatest collector prize. No one else has done it.
I have tremendous respect for Eric Newman. And how he stood up to Ford when others wouldn't or had financial interests and chose not to. I will say I was somewhat disappointed at Mr Newman's seated coins (the only ones I lot viewed), a lot of which looked cleaned or had unattractive, secondary toning. But of course he acquired them in a by different era of collecting.
Based on his contributions though, he would be high on my list.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
@SanctionII said:
If Mr. Hansen reads this thread he may find some extra motivation in his current collecting efforts.
I'll point this out to him in the morning at breakfast...
Honestly, I'm not sure anything could motivate his collecting more than his current enthusiasm...I've never met someone that loves his coins and collecting more than him.
John Brush President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com email: John@davidlawrence.com 2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
How about the Smithsonian. It has a fairly nice collection of US Coinage.
An absolutely amazing collection indeed! Unfortunately it's terribly under-utilized and under-displayed (in quantity, not quality)...
John Brush President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com email: John@davidlawrence.com 2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
Other than the actual amassing of coins ,I would say that the person/persons who "collect" as their friends the greatest numismatic minds, then "mine' from them their collective numismatic knowledge. That would be a "collection" for sure.
Successful transactions:Tookybandit. "Everyone is equal, some are more equal than others".
Comments
Who had the best jumper
I hear ya. I get so tired about hearing who's the best. Take your example, basketball. Fifty years ago it was Jerry West. Then it was Julius Irving. Then Kareem. Then Larry Bird/Magic Johnson. Then Michael Jordan. Now some KING in Cleveland. The best always seems to be whatever is happening now. It's a joke. The best ever? At their job? That's easy.......SANDY KOUFAX.
I like your thinking on multiple generations. A good criteria to use. With this criteria, I think Pogue would need to be included.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
This tread was not intended to have an answer. It was intended to knock on a current collector.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
I started this thread and can say unequivocally it was not "intended to knock on a current collector." Very few things I say are 100% wrong but since it's my OP I can say you are 100% wrong.
Thanks for saying so. That’s really good to know.
My 20th Century Gold Major Design Type Set ---started : 11/17/1997 ---- completed : 1/21/2004
We think alike. None better.
Pete
.
I agree.
I agree. His legacy will stand more than just a name on a provenance.
Also, how cool is it that he was able to mortgage his house and go to Egypt to bid on coins? He couldn't have been married, right? Not a snowballs chance my wife would let me go to Egypt for an auction...much less mortgage the house for coins.
Oh yes, he was. He married his wife in the late 1930s and when he made the suggestion of mortgaging the house to finance the trip to Egypt, his wife was all for it. By the way, when he died, they had been married for 60 years.
Member ANA, SPMC, SCNA, FUN, CONECA
Are there any recommended books on him? I'd love to read more detail about everything surrounding him. The man himself, the events around the auction and leading up to it, more about farouk as well, and then how he did financially after doing something that seems so crazy.
I have looked for a book just on Pittman but haven't found any (just lots of articles and a chapter here and there in a book). Another facet about Pittman that was told to me buy a well known dealer---he never sold a coin. Almost every great collector at one time sold some of his coins---not Pittman.
We do indeed, Pete. Eliasberg had the only complete collection (of coins known at the time) ever assembled. He did not, however, differentiate between circulation strikes and proofs for some coins according to Wikipedia. I feel that this earns him the greatest collector prize. No one else has done it.
I have tremendous respect for Eric Newman. And how he stood up to Ford when others wouldn't or had financial interests and chose not to. I will say I was somewhat disappointed at Mr Newman's seated coins (the only ones I lot viewed), a lot of which looked cleaned or had unattractive, secondary toning. But of course he acquired them in a by different era of collecting.
Based on his contributions though, he would be high on my list.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
I'll point this out to him in the morning at breakfast...
Honestly, I'm not sure anything could motivate his collecting more than his current enthusiasm...I've never met someone that loves his coins and collecting more than him.
President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com
email: John@davidlawrence.com
2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
An absolutely amazing collection indeed! Unfortunately it's terribly under-utilized and under-displayed (in quantity, not quality)...
President of David Lawrence Rare Coins www.davidlawrence.com
email: John@davidlawrence.com
2022 ANA Dealer of the Year, Past Chair of NCBA (formerly ICTA), PNG Treasurer, Instructor at Witter Coin University, former Instructor/YN Chaperone ANA Summer Seminar, Coin World Most Influential, Curator of the D.L. Hansen Collection
Other than the actual amassing of coins ,I would say that the person/persons who "collect" as their friends the greatest numismatic minds, then "mine' from them their collective numismatic knowledge. That would be a "collection" for sure.
I like how Joseph Mickley collected coins before it was popular - imagine being the only serious coin collector in the USA for decades