The "error" posts by new members seem to be getting worse than ever.
291fifth
Posts: 24,452 ✭✭✭✭✭
Have you noticed how many really awful damaged coins are now being posted as "errors" by new members? What is fueling this delusion that badly damaged coins are valuable "errors"? Are the online fortune-in-your-pocket-change videos somehow promoting this stuff?
All glory is fleeting.
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Comments
Some forums have a Newbie category. It seldom works but at least there is a place for mods to MOVE a post.
I can offer two reasons: people who know better and come here to be disruptive and people who are wholly ignorant and are motivated by greed.
It's all good.
The more interest in "valuable" coins is great for the hobby
Coin collectors make up a very small portion of the population, and with the recent hyperinflation there are some very desperate people out there. Add in the stories they see about slabbed crickets, and obviously damaged coins slabbed and hyped as errors, it should be no surprise to see the recent rise in parking lot finds.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Look on the bright side. We can now identify PMD without even seeing a picture!
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the point being most of the threads seem to be trollish and not legitimate interest in the hobby, although it is very easy to spot those threads and to avoid them. (i am pretty sure i end up regretting getting involved in them and why i strive to avoid them. reddit, twitter, discord, facebook, youtube etc exists for people to get those shenanigans out of their system elsewhere, would be nice if it didn't bleed over here, imo)
i personally sure wouldn't try to stop the mods from moving those threads to a noobie area but i'm not losing sleep over it either.
Don’t read them! That simple.
99.9% troll. I used to think 90% but their style is hit and run. The people who 'welcome' them to the boards oughta be patient until the troll proves otherwise.
Or the body of a thread
I see the you might be rich ads if you have this coin articles all the time when I open things to get here. I just keep going and by pass it
Yep! I've noticed the same thing!
"I Prefer Dangerous Freedom Over Peaceful Slavery"
Thomas Jefferson!
The grammar structure, approach, and personality found in several of these users posts is remarkably similar at times. Particularly the belligerent ones. I am not really a gambler but I would bet that multiple accounts are maintained by one or more trolls here.
I read somewhere once that IP traces can be done by moderators but I know nothing about that.
Generic avatars raise the alarm for me every time, although not all generic avatar users are trolling.
http://www.pcgs.com/SetRegistry/publishedset.aspx?s=142753
https://www.autismforums.com/media/albums/acrylic-colors-by-rocco.291/
I’ve seen the same thing on Facebook groups too. People with no interest in the hobby who happen to know errors can be worth a lot make their one post, get pissy when told their nickel run over by a truck is still worth a nickel and then leave. Not sure how to solve this issue
If these errors are getting worse, perhaps it's time for Walmart to repave their parking lots.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
I suppose there are some trolls here. I think there are so many people out there intent to find a real mint error, they believe everything they see is a mint error.
I don't know about you guys but if I look at a 55 cent long enough, it starts to double! 😂 🤪
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
Definitely trolls.
I give new members the benefit of a doubt and try to provide an answer and useful links. If they start to question the accuracy of the info (example"...but did you see..."), all bets are off.
I think most newbies posting obvious PMD got sucked into the "get rich from... You tube jun or Facebook nonsense. There does seem to be occasional troll, but most newbies seem to be legit IMO
If you don't want to be bothered, just skip the thread
Edited to correct spelling errors
Kids, newbies and a few trolls. I welcome all the new collectors. They need an education. A lot of Newbie posts indicate that the hobby is strong and getting stronger. We were all newbies at one time. Don't kick them too hard!
People come to these forums for all sorts of reasons. Few come for legitimate coin knowledge but rather to get a pat on the head or just someone to talk to. One didn't like being told his Walmart parking lot finds were nothing special and referred to those who would not verify his common coins as 'errors' as "keyboard gangsters". Hadn't heard that one before.
I welcome all new 'collectors' to the hobby - As they are, so once were we.... Sure, some are 'one time treasure hunters', and there is no excuse for the one's that react negatively to proper, reasoned responses. However, some are legitimate new collectors, and it would be wrong to discourage them. Cheers, RickO
that is why this place was formed to help people with questions about coins or banknotes, yes questions can be odd or out in left field but it's a question that needs answers from people who know
2003-present
https://www.omnicoin.com/security/users/login
I like your avatar. Cheers.
I’ve not been here long but I will put my 2cents into the conversation. I feel it’s a black eye for the hobby as well as a spark of interest to have the potential of blossoming a true collector or yet just a enthusiast. There are tons of people out there with junk convinced it’s a true Mint Error but We should be here to help those wanting to learn
And what of those who don't want to learn
Sadly that makes up a large percentage of young collectors yet all those who are unwilling to learn will just get the same answer or keep the million dollar penny they have listed without ever proceeding forward. I feel it hurts this field with all the false info spreading between YouTube and the internet but those who are willing to learn I have no problem with. I have no idea how to deal with the rest
Been around here quite a while and walked before I ran. Often have questions and appreciate the hobbyists and the experts here for their knowledge and expertise. The following is great info however not the tell tale sign of all doubled dies. A raw, non-expert pic of a '94 lincoln is questionable. Patience my friends.
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Missed one.
Another part of the problem is that many/most of these new members with PMD "errors" only read their own threads and not any others.
I recall a few years ago when ParadiseFound was doing those incredibly generous giveaways of silver and even on one occasion gold, virtually none of the new members participated simply because they never even bothered to open the threads. They were chasing worthless PMD and passing up a shot at free silver or gold.
Once I found a coin in a roll that really looked different. The color was off. I knew I had some kind of ERROR. Sooo, I sent it in for grading to PCGS and voila, it came back with a different grade alright-counterfeit.
Whatever happened to @Paradisefound
My guess is that the YouTube algorithms are fueling the fire by aggressively promoting ridiculous ideas about finding rare coins in change. Btw, Etsy is our worst enemy these days. People are posting pocket change on Etsy for $50,000, and then people call us to cash in for a little less because they "know we have to make a profit too." So sweet, huh?
In my 30 years in a coin shop, I can tell you that we are getting more and more phone calls and email inquiries than ever before. It is several times per day now. I am trying to find a solution to this problem.
We are "appointment only" now, so people will call and ask for an appointment to sell their rare, valuable coins. I push them to either email or text photos first.
Gas is nearing $6/gallon in my area, so I tell them that it is best to pre-screen the coins. 9 out of 10 times we get pictures of pocket change that was put through a chipper-shredder, or ran over by a train a few times, or both.
And let's not forget the 1795 silver dollars in "brand new" condition that they say their grandfather gave them years ago before he died, when in reality they bought it 30 minutes ago at a yard sale. Then we are the bad guys for taking our time to explain this to the caller. I could go on and on and on, but will spare you the details.
I just got home from the local coin store. You don't have to spare me the details, I got to see them quite clearly while I was there.
Me ? When teaching or lets say explaining how a press, cutter etc. operates, and I feel the interest is progressing, I always keep one rule...No question is a dumb question .
If I don't have the answer, we work it out and build on it, so to say.
You can tell if someone's working just for the money in that case I back off . Although, I'm always available to strike up the interest again. In a pressroom.
Sounds kinda deep huh.
Here...? I'm the one with the stupid questions.
LOL