Ok, I've read 'em all. Very good work, guys! All of you! It was tough to decide, and I figured I'd better choose now rather than be a tiebreaker at the end.
First place-Stella
Second place-Bigmansam88
Third place-Cheddy
All essays were interesting and unique, and I wish I could send you all a prize. Our future seems in good hands.
Also, I believe a BIG thanks is due Broadstruck for organizing this giveaway.
yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest.
Edit: To clarify, I am not saying that to get me more prizes at all, but how can you compare the essay of a 17 year old in AP English and the essay of a 10 year older in grade school? I thought it would just seem more fair. It seems set up as a winner take all kind of contest basically. Hope that helps!
<< <i>yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest. >>
<< <i>yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest. >>
It's a bit of a mess and I didn't want a poll vote... but now some members don't want to post votes publically as to showing any sort of favortism, etc.
To Err Is Human.... To Collect Err's Is Just Too Much Darn Tootin Fun!
Broadstruck, this thread is out of control! You should at least update the first post with how we are suppose to put our votes in (and through when), and what page all of the "official" entries are at. The calls for a new essay/voting thread is not completely out of line.
<< <i>yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest. >>
That seems only logical.
What Mr. Spock would say about numismatics... ... "Fascinating, but not logical"
CoinsAreNeat, I'm impressed. I didn't know you were a young guy when dealing with you and definitely held you to the same standard I would hold any adult to when dealing with coins on the BST. You were most gracious.
I vote for you.
If I was voting by way of favortism, not many would beat "notlogical" if any. Oh, and since Stella is a favorite coin, I almost have to reconsider my first vote. These kids are tough to choose from. I commend you all. And Broadstruck , what could I say that you do not know already ?
I have been a bit disposed (another round of surgery, pain began to 'break through', so on new meds, which really aint so bad.... ), so I will get to read them tonite and enter mine later tonite or tomorrow. I did read through a few already, then scrolled the rest of it, to see other posts. BOY, the fur almost started to fly there for a bit, when it came to deadlines, mixups. See kids? It aint easy being an adult, and noone will ever tell you it gets any easier (well, noone ever told me, and its a good thing someone DIDNT tell me it would)!!! Its good to see a little competitiveness out of you...shows you have pride in what you have done. I look forward to reading them ALL, in the easier form. Before I even get to reading them in earnest, I applaud ALL of you YN's who have come out of the woodwork and taken the time to tell the generation of collectors YOU are going to replace...those that will carry on this hobby when we are gone... why YOU are interested in it. I know theres a 'stigma' associated with being a coin collector (cmon, we ALL know it...even as an adult, when I tell those that dont know I am, well, you all know the look you get, admit it), and being a kid, kids can be cruelllllllll. Adults have no lives, but you kids can be spending your time however you want, and to dedicate time to this hobby takes away from time you could be doing something else. That tells me you ARE doing what you want to be doing. Props to all you YN's....every one of you that sent an essay, you are already winners!!!
Edited to add: I need to say, adults, we DO have lives, its just our time for 'being a kid' is greatly reduced by the things we must do to meet the obligations we acquire as adults. Sure, I do have 'my' time, but boy, there sure was alot more free time before I became an adult....Again, I do applaud these YN's for taking some of their valuable time to see to it our hobby grows and flourishes. They do this when there are so many other things they could be doing. It helps them acquire the tools to appropriate time for things, to balance the hobby with other aspects, such as sports, with homework, chores, etc. When I became a freshman in high school, my father said 'enjoy it, four years seems like a long time, but, you watch'. Damn, if it didnt seem like the day after he said that, I was graduating. I told my sons those same words. I bring it up to them now, and I get, with sad looks, 'you were right, it flew by'. Before you know it, you are married, kids, mortgage, car payment, working OT, etc etc etc.....time gets hard to come by. Kids should enjoy the time they have, it doesnt last long, and to see them making this hobby part of that time, I think its wonderful.
I really think that the essays should have been posted annonymously. Ex, Entry 1, Entry 2 ... Im not saying anyone may be playing favorites but, just so its unbiased.
i just think this could have been organized a bit better. A way to vote should have been addressed before the essays were posted. And I completely understand why some members want to be anonymous. There is a strong possibility some YN is going to hold a grudge or get pissed at some member for not voting for them. I don't see why all adult members cant just discuss it (preferably in private) and then come to a conclusion, as i highly doubt any adult poster is looking to rig this contest. Or, a poll is fine. No one is going to open up 10 extra accounts just to win this essay contest. But obviously what is happening right now with voting is not working.
for all the YN's let's not lose focus what this is all about. It's a simple contest. All of your essays are worthy of first place.
I would suggest for the next contest there needs to be seperate age groups. I for one found the YN's under 15 to be the most sincere.
The others seem to be written as if they were an assignment for school. Heck my AP senior wrote an essay that didn't compare to most of these.
The one that gets my vote will be the one that shows a true YN love for the hobby.
My 11yr old daughter said it best when asked why she enjoys coins..Her response, Because they hold the history of our nation. And I get to spend time with my dad. Pure, simple and from the Heart..
Oh well whoever wins you have alot of wonderfull gifts from the numismatic world. Cherish them everyday and don't lose track of who you are. And remember to "pay it forward" someday...
Im pretty sure he means the way that they feel about Numismatics, the younger kids take coin collecting as a learning experience,while some of the older kids sound like they just substituted most of their essay with the Word thesaurus to make their essay sound more intellectual.
Thanks so much for the support everyone. I just want to say while it was short and sweet i really did write my essay from the heart. It certainly wasnt a "school assignment", heck i would have written it even if there were no prizes. Everyone else also had great entires. I agree that the prizes should be split up, especially to the littler YN's so that its even. Maybe two divisions, one for 10-13 and another for 14-17 would make this contest more equal.
<< <i>Im pretty sure he means the way that they feel about Numismatics, the younger kids take coin collecting as a learning experience,while some of the older kids sound like they just substituted most of their essay with the Word thesaurus to make their essay sound more intellectual. >>
Thank you for clearing that up for me...Well said.
I will give the other YN's a little advice from the heart. Don't be so quick to offend. I stated my point of view. That was all.
As i said before considering the state of confusion here i think its best to split it into 2 categories, 10-13 and 14-17 so we dont have to worry about the sophistication of the writing. Prizes should then be equally distributed among the two categories. Second we should then have a seperate thread where only the prize contributing members can cast their vote. Also just because an essay is "simpler" or shorter doesnt mean its not anyless qualified than one filled with BS, thats a principle that every student in upper level english should know (many of the younger yn's really did pour their heart out into their essay's). Just my 2 cents.
<< <i>As I stated earlier, I feel that having the entries judged annonymously would have relieved all of this this confusion that is going on now. >>
I could not agree with you more.
I feel that some people are more inclined to vote for essays written by younger YN's because they are written by younger kids who haven't had as much experience in writing essays as other members.
I don't think that things are a total mess right now, but all of this confusion is not looking good.
<< <i>As I stated earlier, I feel that having the entries judged annonymously would have relieved all of this this confusion that is going on now. >>
This is true to a certain point, but with the CU's format of communication a vote by PM/secret would leave some with the suspision that Broadstruck or only one or two people decided the outcome instead of all the prize contributing members.
Hopefully the spirit that this contest was setup in is not lost or destroyed. The CU forum is a very imperfect format for a contest such as this in regards to privacy of vote. Polls work only for the full membership in voting in such a way, limiting the vote to those that contribute makes sense with the resulting weakness of open balloting.
No one should take hurt or anger away from this contest. It was enjoyable reading the entries and all should be feel fortunate to be able to possibly win such coins/prizes. There are not very many countries where this kind of contest is even a remote possibility.
Just as we all can't win the same auction for a coin, all the great YNs can not all win the big prize. Life does not operate this way and we find this more so as we age.
First, I want to point out that this contest is about the enjoyment and learning of numismatics as expressed through YN essays. I wrote my essay based on how much I love coins and their history (with the additional, but not most important, incentive of a possible prize.) Although winning an addition to my collection to enjoy would be nice, for me this essay and my choice to participate were not just about the prizes!
Hopefully this contest can turn out with a combination of YNs furthering their education about and enjoyment of the hobby instead of messiness, IMHO.
By the way, thanks to Broadstruck and all of the contributors. Even if I have won nothing and only participated, I am still very glad to see all of the generosity and to have written an essay to share!
Coin collector since childhood and New York Numismatist at Heritage Auctions.
<< <i>As I stated earlier, I feel that having the entries judged annonymously would have relieved all of this this confusion that is going on now. >>
This is true to a certain point, but with the CU's format of communication a vote by PM/secret would leave some with the suspision that Broadstruck or only one or two people decided the outcome instead of all the prize contributing members.
Hopefully the spirit that this contest was setup in is not lost or destroyed. The CU forum is a very imperfect format for a contest such as this in regards to privacy of vote. Polls work only for the full membership in voting in such a way, limiting the vote to those that contribute makes sense with the resulting weakness of open balloting.
No one should take hurt or anger away from this contest. It was enjoyable reading the entries and all should be feel fortunate to be able to possibly win such coins/prizes. There are not very many countries where this kind of contest is even a remote possibility.
Just as we all can't win the same auction for a coin, all the great YNs can not all win the big prize. Life does not operate this way and we find this more so as we age. >>
<< <i>First, I want to point out that this contest is about the enjoyment and learning of numismatics as expressed through YN essays. I wrote my essay based on how much I love coins and their history (with the additional, but not most important, incentive of a possible prize.) Although winning an addition to my collection to enjoy would be nice, for me this essay and my choice to participate were not just about the prizes!
Hopefully this contest can turn out with a combination of YNs furthering their education about and enjoyment of the hobby instead of messiness, IMHO.
By the way, thanks to Broadstruck and all of the contributors. Even if I have won nothing and only participated, I am still very glad to see all of the generosity and to have written an essay to share! >>
I agree completely. The prizes are fantastic, and I am flattered by the generosity fellow forum members are showing to us YN's. Writing the essay was rather enjoyable for me, figuring out exactly what it is I love about numismatics was really a great experience; and if people enjoy reading what I wrote that is another bonus.
I also had no idea that their were so many YN's on these boards. Prior to this contest I only knew of two others besides myself...
I'd like to be the first one to admit that the main reason that I wrote my essay was because the prizes were plentiful and probably worth about half of the collection that I currently have. The generosity on these boards to the YN's is incredible and appreciated by all. I figured, just like everyone else, that I had a good shot at winning, and if not, then possible placing in the top three. It now seems like other YN's are claiming that the essay was purely for fun, but I'm trying to remain down to earth in realizing that most of the YN's only wrote their essays for the prizes. Just wanted to share my thoughts.
keep it real man. i feel the same way, and also did it mainly for the money, although the recognition and the notch on my belt would be nice. As for the people who stated they wrote the essay and didnt care about the prizes, a question (drumroll please):
"So you're telling me that had there been no prizes offered from the beginning to the end of this contest, that you still would have written an essay, and that essay would have been the same quality as yours is now?"
<< <i>keep it real man. i feel the same way, and also did it mainly for the money, although the recognition and the notch on my belt would be nice. As for the people who stated they wrote the essay and didnt care about the prizes, a question (drumroll please):
"So you're telling me that had there been no prizes offered from the beginning to the end of this contest, that you still would have written an essay, and that essay would have been the same quality as yours is now?" >>
Yes, I still would have written an essay. Although the prizes are definitely an encouragement, I actually like writing and care enough about numismatics and collecting to write such an essay! Also, having my essay recorded to share with others on the forum is a minor form of being published and contributing to the hobby. Therefore, I would likely submit an essay even if smaller prizes (or no prizes) were available. Although I will admit that I was attracted by the prizes, those are not the only important factors in my mind at all.
Coin collector since childhood and New York Numismatist at Heritage Auctions.
Comments
drumroll please.......
1st place = Cgb age 15 Carl
2nd place = Greg4Coins age 14
3rd place = terptopher age 14 Chris
Just a short note to the runners-up. You All made me proud I could participate..
Congratulation's !!!!
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Therefore here are my top three.
1st: Cgb
2nd: fengk
3rd: Stella
Good luck to all and remember that it's just a hobby and should be more fun than work.
2: Greg4Coins
3: Stella
<< <i>well broadstruck, its your giveaway, arent you going to vote? >>
It's not easy to vote on these essays as they are all excellent... a great job by all YN's!
I have a 5+ hour flight tonight and have them printed on 18 pages, I'll post my final vote in the next few days.
Right now... well I'd have to flip a coin!
It was tough to decide, and I figured I'd better choose now rather than be a tiebreaker at the end.
First place-Stella
Second place-Bigmansam88
Third place-Cheddy
Also, I believe a BIG thanks is due Broadstruck for organizing this giveaway.
Edit: To clarify, I am not saying that to get me more prizes at all, but how can you compare the essay of a 17 year old in AP English and the essay of a 10 year older in grade school? I thought it would just seem more fair. It seems set up as a winner take all kind of contest basically. Hope that helps!
<< <i>yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest. >>
I agree 100%
To support LordM's European Trip, click here!
<< <i>yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest. >>
I third this motion...
<< <i>I am sure Broadstruck will have a plan >>
It's a bit of a mess and I didn't want a poll vote... but now some members don't want to post votes publically as to showing any sort of favortism, etc.
<< <i>yeah those are all great essays! My two cents: i think the prizes should be spread out a little more evenly... like how Ksteelheader used to do his 4th of July contest. >>
That seems only logical.
"Live long and prosper"
My "How I Started" columns
<< <i>Can you post all of the essays in a unifed place (maybe a poll)? >>
A poll would be good.
<< <i>
<< <i>Can you post all of the essays in a unifed place (maybe a poll)? >>
A poll would be good. >>
I think he wants only the contributors to vote.
To support LordM's European Trip, click here!
CoinsAreNeat, I'm impressed. I didn't know you were a young guy when dealing with you and definitely held you to the same standard I would hold any adult to when dealing with coins on the BST. You were most gracious.
I vote for you.
If I was voting by way of favortism, not many would beat "notlogical" if any. Oh, and since Stella is a favorite coin, I almost have to reconsider my first vote. These kids are tough to choose from. I commend you all.
And Broadstruck , what could I say that you do not know already
Edited to add: I need to say, adults, we DO have lives, its just our time for 'being a kid' is greatly reduced by the things we must do to meet the obligations we acquire as adults. Sure, I do have 'my' time, but boy, there sure was alot more free time before I became an adult....Again, I do applaud these YN's for taking some of their valuable time to see to it our hobby grows and flourishes. They do this when there are so many other things they could be doing. It helps them acquire the tools to appropriate time for things, to balance the hobby with other aspects, such as sports, with homework, chores, etc. When I became a freshman in high school, my father said 'enjoy it, four years seems like a long time, but, you watch'. Damn, if it didnt seem like the day after he said that, I was graduating. I told my sons those same words. I bring it up to them now, and I get, with sad looks, 'you were right, it flew by'. Before you know it, you are married, kids, mortgage, car payment, working OT, etc etc etc.....time gets hard to come by. Kids should enjoy the time they have, it doesnt last long, and to see them making this hobby part of that time, I think its wonderful.
I believe Broadstruck is on a jet somewhere so we probably won't get an update til tomorrow at the earliest I would think.
<< <i>What is this now the DNC? All these calls for change after the contest deadline has passed sure sounds Clintonesque.
I believe Broadstruck is on a jet somewhere so we probably won't get an update til tomorrow at the earliest I would think.
My thoughts exactly....
Im not saying anyone may be playing favorites but, just so its unbiased.
I do not feel theres any bias here, and feel that board members reading the essays can pick the winners.
due to the prize pool, there will be alot of backlash from those who feel that they did a sub-par job, oh well, cant please everyone.
tis part of growing up
Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
my selections are:
miktau first
brie13 second
MadamMillano third
I would suggest for the next contest there needs to be seperate age groups. I for one found the YN's under 15 to be the most sincere.
The others seem to be written as if they were an assignment for school. Heck my AP senior wrote an essay that didn't compare to most of these.
The one that gets my vote will be the one that shows a true YN love for the hobby.
My 11yr old daughter said it best when asked why she enjoys coins..Her response, Because they hold the history of our nation. And I get to spend time with my dad.
Pure, simple and from the Heart..
Oh well whoever wins you have alot of wonderfull gifts from the numismatic world. Cherish them everyday and don't lose track of who you are. And remember
to "pay it forward" someday...
I need to put him in a tie for first. Sorry Broadstruck. These kids all deserve something.
<< <i>I for one found the YN's under 15 to be the most sincere.
The others seem to be written as if they were an assignment for school. Heck my AP senior wrote an essay that didn't compare to most of these.
>>
So because I have a more sophisticated writing style (as I should) than those younger than me, I am insincere? That is an unfair thing to say.
To support LordM's European Trip, click here!
cheers,
Mike
<< <i>Im pretty sure he means the way that they feel about Numismatics, the younger kids take coin collecting as a learning experience,while some of the older kids sound like they just substituted most of their essay with the Word thesaurus to make their essay sound more intellectual. >>
Thank you for clearing that up for me...Well said.
I will give the other YN's a little advice from the heart. Don't be so quick to offend. I stated my point of view. That was all.
laxmaster92 you get my vote.
<< <i>
I will give the other YN's a little advice from the heart. Don't be so quick to offend. I stated my point of view. That was all.
>>
And I simply stated mine. That was all.
Edited to say: Awkward tension!!!
cheers,
mike
<< <i>As I stated earlier, I feel that having the entries judged annonymously would have relieved all of this this confusion that is going on now. >>
I could not agree with you more.
I feel that some people are more inclined to vote for essays written by younger YN's because they are written by younger kids
who haven't had as much experience in writing essays as other members.
I don't think that things are a total mess right now, but all of this confusion is not looking good.
<< <i>As I stated earlier, I feel that having the entries judged annonymously would have relieved all of this this confusion that is going on now. >>
This is true to a certain point, but with the CU's format of communication a vote by PM/secret would leave some with the suspision that Broadstruck or only one or two people decided the outcome instead of all the prize contributing members.
Hopefully the spirit that this contest was setup in is not lost or destroyed. The CU forum is a very imperfect format for a contest such as this in regards to privacy of vote. Polls work only for the full membership in voting in such a way, limiting the vote to those that contribute makes sense with the resulting weakness of open balloting.
No one should take hurt or anger away from this contest. It was enjoyable reading the entries and all should be feel fortunate to be able to possibly win such coins/prizes. There are not very many countries where this kind of contest is even a remote possibility.
Just as we all can't win the same auction for a coin, all the great YNs can not all win the big prize. Life does not operate this way and we find this more so as we age.
Hopefully this contest can turn out with a combination of YNs furthering their education about and enjoyment of the hobby instead of messiness, IMHO.
By the way, thanks to Broadstruck and all of the contributors. Even if I have won nothing and only participated, I am still very glad to see all of the generosity and to have written an essay to share!
<< <i>
<< <i>As I stated earlier, I feel that having the entries judged annonymously would have relieved all of this this confusion that is going on now. >>
This is true to a certain point, but with the CU's format of communication a vote by PM/secret would leave some with the suspision that Broadstruck or only one or two people decided the outcome instead of all the prize contributing members.
Hopefully the spirit that this contest was setup in is not lost or destroyed. The CU forum is a very imperfect format for a contest such as this in regards to privacy of vote. Polls work only for the full membership in voting in such a way, limiting the vote to those that contribute makes sense with the resulting weakness of open balloting.
No one should take hurt or anger away from this contest. It was enjoyable reading the entries and all should be feel fortunate to be able to possibly win such coins/prizes. There are not very many countries where this kind of contest is even a remote possibility.
Just as we all can't win the same auction for a coin, all the great YNs can not all win the big prize. Life does not operate this way and we find this more so as we age. >>
right on the money
<< <i>First, I want to point out that this contest is about the enjoyment and learning of numismatics as expressed through YN essays. I wrote my essay based on how much I love coins and their history (with the additional, but not most important, incentive of a possible prize.) Although winning an addition to my collection to enjoy would be nice, for me this essay and my choice to participate were not just about the prizes!
Hopefully this contest can turn out with a combination of YNs furthering their education about and enjoyment of the hobby instead of messiness, IMHO.
By the way, thanks to Broadstruck and all of the contributors. Even if I have won nothing and only participated, I am still very glad to see all of the generosity and to have written an essay to share!
I agree completely. The prizes are fantastic, and I am flattered by the generosity fellow forum members are showing to us YN's. Writing the essay was rather enjoyable for me, figuring out exactly what it is I love about numismatics was really a great experience; and if people enjoy reading what I wrote that is another bonus.
I also had no idea that their were so many YN's on these boards. Prior to this contest I only knew of two others besides myself...
"So you're telling me that had there been no prizes offered from the beginning to the end of this contest, that you still would have written an essay, and that essay would have been the same quality as yours is now?"
<< <i>keep it real man. i feel the same way, and also did it mainly for the money, although the recognition and the notch on my belt would be nice. As for the people who stated they wrote the essay and didnt care about the prizes, a question (drumroll please):
"So you're telling me that had there been no prizes offered from the beginning to the end of this contest, that you still would have written an essay, and that essay would have been the same quality as yours is now?" >>
Yes, I still would have written an essay. Although the prizes are definitely an encouragement, I actually like writing and care enough about numismatics and collecting to write such an essay! Also, having my essay recorded to share with others on the forum is a minor form of being published and contributing to the hobby. Therefore, I would likely submit an essay even if smaller prizes (or no prizes) were available. Although I will admit that I was attracted by the prizes, those are not the only important factors in my mind at all.