My favorite Dark Side coins...
FoundingFather
Posts: 721
... are the Spanish silver dollars that land in my area of focus - colonial coins (slugs of dirt) - specifically the last quarter of the 18th century with a "Founding of America" theme. My favorite one is a 1776 Spanish dollar. So, I guess technically, I'm a grey side collector since part of my collection must be foreign coins to keep my comprehensive approach.
It's been a few years since I've been to these boards in particular. That's due to me still being partially in the closet about my appreciation for foreign coins. Years of people saying "You are better off collecting U.S. stamps then foreign coins" or "Why would you want foreign crap" or "don't be retarded - collect the best (U.S.)." I think the one that kept me in the closet the longest were my parents telling me that I wouldn't amount to anything in life if I "kept that up." Slipping Canadian pennies into bank rolls for deposit was about the worst thing you could do in my neighborhood. One neighbor even accused me of being "gay" because I had some foreign coins. I even got beat up once at school when a few bullies found out from my Mother who went to them to rat me out hoping they could "straighten my ass out." If God wanted foreign coins to be popular, he would have made other Countries wind up being the Super-Power my Daddy used to say right before he beat me with the U.S. Coin Grading book.
Not getting the love I need from family, friends, and the freaks over at the U.S. Coin and Open Forums, I've come here, where I think I am safer, in the Shadows of the Dark Side.
- FF
p.s. Just jokin' around (was serious about the Spanish Dollars though) - is Askari still here!?
It's been a few years since I've been to these boards in particular. That's due to me still being partially in the closet about my appreciation for foreign coins. Years of people saying "You are better off collecting U.S. stamps then foreign coins" or "Why would you want foreign crap" or "don't be retarded - collect the best (U.S.)." I think the one that kept me in the closet the longest were my parents telling me that I wouldn't amount to anything in life if I "kept that up." Slipping Canadian pennies into bank rolls for deposit was about the worst thing you could do in my neighborhood. One neighbor even accused me of being "gay" because I had some foreign coins. I even got beat up once at school when a few bullies found out from my Mother who went to them to rat me out hoping they could "straighten my ass out." If God wanted foreign coins to be popular, he would have made other Countries wind up being the Super-Power my Daddy used to say right before he beat me with the U.S. Coin Grading book.
Not getting the love I need from family, friends, and the freaks over at the U.S. Coin and Open Forums, I've come here, where I think I am safer, in the Shadows of the Dark Side.
- FF
p.s. Just jokin' around (was serious about the Spanish Dollars though) - is Askari still here!?
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Cathy
<< <i>... are the Spanish silver dollars that land in my area of focus - colonial coins (slugs of dirt) - specifically the last quarter of the 18th century with a "Founding of America" theme. My favorite one is a 1776 Spanish dollar. So, I guess technically, I'm a grey side collector since part of my collection must be foreign coins to keep my comprehensive approach.
It's been a few years since I've been to these boards in particular. That's due to me still being partially in the closet about my appreciation for foreign coins. Years of people saying "You are better off collecting U.S. stamps then foreign coins" or "Why would you want foreign crap" or "don't be retarded - collect the best (U.S.)." I think the one that kept me in the closet the longest were my parents telling me that I wouldn't amount to anything in life if I "kept that up." Slipping Canadian pennies into bank rolls for deposit was about the worst thing you could do in my neighborhood. One neighbor even accused me of being "gay" because I had some foreign coins. I even got beat up once at school when a few bullies found out from my Mother who went to them to rat me out hoping they could "straighten my ass out." If God wanted foreign coins to be popular, he would have made other Countries wind up being the Super-Power my Daddy used to say right before he beat me with the U.S. Coin Grading book.
Not getting the love I need from family, friends, and the freaks over at the U.S. Coin and Open Forums, I've come here, where I think I am safer, in the Shadows of the Dark Side.
- FF
p.s. Just jokin' around (was serious about the Spanish Dollars though) - is Askari still here!? >>
Where did the name "darkside " come from to express foreign coins?
I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
2Kopeiki
8 Reales Madness Collection
20th century coins. Almost all US coins made since the 1840's were set aside by
collectors and the earlier ones often survived because they were used as backing
for currency. While the designs have usually been very American they are not al-
ways especially attractive. Certainly US coins have a lot going for them but many
darkside coins do as well. Better, many world coins have been totally ignored by
collectors here and in their own country. The coins did what they were designed to
do; circulate. They circulated randomly from one person to another for decades and
were then melted for their metal.
Designs are often foreign but many are extremely well done and technical quality
surpasses US coinage in many instances (especially in modern coins). Because de-
mand is so aenemic prices can be laughably low. Some of the rarest sets in the world
list for a total of a few dollars yet none of the coins is available.
These coins often aren't well studied and spectacular doubled dies and varieties can
be found at no premium. No matter what use a coin has served there is probably a
darkside coin to manifest it. This hardly applies to US coins.
There's no need to apologize for finding some world coins to be neat. I wonder more
about people who can't find some merit in any world coins.
<< <i>Stork, are there really people who consistently refer to Canadian coins as the Grey Side? >>
It's not as a common a phrase around here, but it does get used alot. I vote for calling exonumia/tokens/etc the farside, but apparently I'm alone in this
Cathy
well, that didn't work. All I did was type 'grey' into the search box at the top of the forum page. Here's one thread: real link
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
Cladking - that's part of why I like the colonial coinage. Lots of design variety and mega significance, low-cost rarities, and lots of stories to be found in the details due to the nature of the beast at that time.
8 Reales Madness Collection
8 Reales Madness Collection
But if you collect darkside, you need to learn about the coins and their history. You need the patience to track down the tough stuff more than you need money.
Not everyone thinks the pinnacle of numismatics is a 3-legged buffalo nickel. Darkside collectors are the numismatic elite.
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media" - William Colby, former CIA director
Lynch, I don't know about that - at least for some case. I feel as though I am under intense research, education, and investigation digging into colonials. But, you are probably speaking in very general terms and on that level, I totally agree!
<< <i>Lynch, I don't know about that - at least for some case. I feel as though I am under intense research, education, and investigation digging into colonials. But, you are probably speaking in very general terms and on that level, I totally agree! >>
Pardon me for my sloppy self-expression.
While I suppose colonials are (strictly speaking) liteside, they're not at all like collecting Morgans where all you need to be able to read is a slab label and a gray sheet. If you're going to do colonials, you need to read books and learn some history.
If there is a "darkside" to domestic numismatics, colonials are it. I did not mean to lump them in with that group and regret any impression I may have created to the contrary.
"The Central Intelligence Agency owns everyone of any significance in the major media" - William Colby, former CIA director
Speaking of Spanish colonials, the year 1776, and "slugs of dirt", I once had the privilege of digging one out of the dirt. It's a half-reale piece- only 1/16 of a Spanish dollar, but I was tickled to find it. It was my very first 18th century coin found while detecting.
The coin is holed, though that isn't visible in the icon pics above.
The next day on the same site, I found another one- a fairly decent 1787!
There is really nothing Darkside about Spanish Colonial silver (and gold). It is, as you know, the money of our founding fathers.
As to slipping a few Canadian cents into rolls I'm depositing, well... I plead the Fifth.
Just love the design!!
TKC!
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