I am a toned coin collector and I am color blind

RCDB

I have known that there was something wrong with the way I see color since I was about 8 years old and shining shoes in my uncle's barber shop. I had a great deal of difficulty at times even distinguishing between brown and black in certain lighting and learned after applying black polish to a customers brown shoes that I had better start asking. My uncle and I came up with signals so I didn't have to keep embarrassing myself or have people think I was just dumb. As a teen the issue showed itself again when playing pool. I never called out the number of the ball, but would say the color and what pocket. Boy did people jump when I called out a color that wasn't there. I always had to take someone shopping with me for clothes most of my life until I just started dressing almost totally in black. In my 20s when I took a test to be an air traffic controller, it was confirmed that I was color blind. I could not see anything in half the slides they showed me.
I love rainbow toned coins and they dominate my collection. I never remember seeing anything like this as a kid in late 50s and early 60s and have just been drawn to their beauty when I reentered the hobby in 2001 when I first discovered Ebay. I have to admit that there are times that it is frustrating, but like most people I buy what I like and that's what matters most. Often I ask my son to tell me what he sees, sometimes before or after a purchase. For those that do not know about color blindness, my world is not black and white. I see color, but often I see the wrong color. There are some colors that are much harder to see than others.
The thing I find most frustrating recently is trying to have a discussion on these boards about a coin I or someone else posts. I am never sure about what I really am seeing. But I love it anyway and still get a great deal of pleasure from my hobby that has spanned my entire life, my father was a collector, with some breaks in between.

lasvegasteddy

cool

the navy told me i was colorblind and couldn't be an electrician due to numbers in dots on cards
i was like "what?"
oh well

so i take it...you pick up subtle shades better then

interesting though...none the less

Flatwoods

But I love it anyway and still get a great deal of pleasure from my hobby that has spanned my entire life, my father was a collector, with some breaks in between.

That sentence says it all.
Thanks for sharing. You made me think about things from a different perspective.

Ablinky

<< <i>I have known that there was something wrong with the way I see color since I was about 8 years old and shining shoes in my uncle's barber shop. I had a great deal of difficulty at times even distinguishing between brown and black in certain lighting and learned after applying black polish to a customers brown shoes that I had better start asking. My uncle and I came up with signals so I didn't have to keep embarrassing myself or have people think I was just dumb. As a teen the issue showed itself again when playing pool. I never called out the number of the ball, but would say the color and what pocket. Boy did people jump when I called out a color that wasn't there. I always had to take someone shopping with me for clothes most of my life until I just started dressing almost totally in black. In my 20s when I took a test to be an air traffic controller, it was confirmed that I was color blind. I could not see anything in half the slides they showed me.
I love rainbow toned coins and they dominate my collection. I never remember seeing anything like this as a kid in late 50s and early 60s and have just been drawn to their beauty when I reentered the hobby in 2001 when I first discovered Ebay. I have to admit that there are times that it is frustrating, but like most people I buy what I like and that's what matters most. Often I ask my son to tell me what he sees, sometimes before or after a purchase. For those that do not know about color blindness, my world is not black and white. I see color, but often I see the wrong color. There are some colors that are much harder to see than others.
The thing I find most frustrating recently is trying to have a discussion on these boards about a coin I or someone else posts. I am never sure about what I really am seeing. But I love it anyway and still get a great deal of pleasure from my hobby that has spanned my entire life, my father was a collector, with some breaks in between. >>



I have the exact same problem, when my coin friends ask me how I collect, I respond with one of two responses. In general the only colors you need to know are gold, silver, and copper. None of which someone should mix up. Then for toned coins, when looking for AT and things of that nature I revert back to the lectures Bob Campbell has over toning; look for the progression of color on coins. Overall, I really like toned coins (I wish I owned more of them) but just don't ask me to describe what colors of the rainbow are present, I'd never get them right.

BryceM

Beethoven was almost completely deaf by the time he composed many of his greatest works.

Hang around enough coin people and you'll realize that many of them have very, very poor eyesight.

Pokermandude

Colorblindness is surprisingly common among men. About 8% of men have some form of colorblindness, usually Red-Green colorblindness.

http://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/

Here is a quick, easy and free test:
http://colorvisiontesting.com/online%20test.htm#demonstration card

keyman64

Cool story. I'm glad that you collect what you like!

astrorat

Those test are great ... I usually get about 1 out of 20. I especially like the colorblind test where the correct answer was revealed ... in color! If I got it wrong the first time ... reshowing me in color is absurd.

Unknown

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Bochiman

Cool.
I could have written that post, including the part about the son helping out, almost word for word.

Aside from the age, I fit the same mold. Partially colorblind, love the colorfully toned coins, etc.
Took the colored dots test when I was in the military (West Point test) and failed twice and finally "passed" with a lot of guessing and a cute nurse/assistant who was open to being flirted with....

ricko

I am not colorblind... at all.... passed all the tests in the Navy and electronics training...just do not like tarnish on my coins...not a matter of color, it is an issue of degradation, tarnish is environmental surface damage.... Cheers, RickO