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Just curious-- is an ingotologist the same as a mineral geologist?

LongacreLongacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
I was taking a look at the recent issue of Coin World, and I saw an ad by Kagin's. Now don't get me wrong. I love Kagin's. They are a firm filled with complete numismatic professionals. On staff they have a very knowledgable numismatist who posts here (David McCarthy, who I like a lot), and some major players with the formal qualifications to back it up. Kagin's is the only firm with a Ph.D. in Numismatics--Dr. Kagin. (I spent three years getting my doctorate degree, and another year getting a post doctorate degree, and I still long for the day when people refer to me as Dr. Longacre). Also on staff is another person with incredible credentials. Fred Holabird was listed in previous ads as an ingotologist (which, I assume, is an expert in gold and silver ingots). In the recent ad, he is listed as a mining geologist.

Does anyone know if he has both certifications, or is the "base" degree the mining geology degree, and then it took additional special study to get the ingotologist degree?
Always took candy from strangers
Didn't wanna get me no trade
Never want to be like papa
Working for the boss every night and day
--"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)

Comments

  • IGWTIGWT Posts: 4,975
    -- "Does anyone know if he has both certifications, or is the "base" degree the mining geology degree, and then it took additional special study to get the ingotologist degree?" --

    Is it possible to get a real degree in a course of study that isn't a real word?
  • Holabird spent most of his life as a mine director. He was trained as a geologist and mining engineer. "Ingotology" is something that has only become a big part of his life in the past 15 years
  • LongacreLongacre Posts: 16,717 ✭✭✭
    Thanks. From what I hear he is a highly regarded geologist.
    Always took candy from strangers
    Didn't wanna get me no trade
    Never want to be like papa
    Working for the boss every night and day
    --"Happy", by the Rolling Stones (1972)
  • ShamikaShamika Posts: 18,785 ✭✭✭✭
    There is such a thing as a Mining/Geology degree, but it is unusual.

    Also, the degrees that would approximate this would either by "Mining Engineering" or simply "Geology". As a geology student, you could specialize in mining or as a civil/mining engineering student you could specialize in mineralogy.

    As far as "ingotologist", I think this is a made-up word for somebody who studies ingots.


    Buyer and seller of vintage coin boards!
  • GeomanGeoman Posts: 2,491 ✭✭✭
    Most people working in the mines that have degrees for such would either have an Engineering degree or a Geology degree. The phrase "mining geology degree" is too broad and doesn't define exactly what one does. Typically, there are two types of degrees that people use when talking about mines - a mining engineer has an engineering degree and a mine geologist has a geology degree (usually in Economic Geology).

    I have a degree in Economic Geology, which is a masters degree above the general 4-year BS in Geology. So I guess you could say I have a "mining geology degree" but us geology geeks prefer to be called Economic Geologists. Similar, someone with an engineering degree would be Mine Engineer.

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