How good is the advice posted here?

ldhair · May 20, 2003 10:02AM

Another board had a thread about how bad the advice here is.

It made me a little mad reading it. I have never felt that way.
Sure there are some things said that could be questioned.

With all the members here I understand this will happen.

How do you feel?

Russ · May 20, 2003 10:16AM

I think that, on balance, the advice here is outstanding. I can guarantee that without this forum, I'd have made many, many more mistakes since I started this coin collecting adventure a year or so ago.

Big

to the people here!

Russ, NCNE

dddangerousdan · May 20, 2003 10:18AM

Definately MS material

DAN

coinguy1 · May 20, 2003 10:32AM

Larry, that thread bothered me, too, even though I respect its initiator and a number of the participants.

Overall, I think the advice is quite good here. Most any question posed, is answered. And, to my knowledge, many of the answers are on target.

I think this is a great place to learn about all sorts of things, whether you are a collector or dealer, expert or novice.

kranky · May 20, 2003 10:33AM

Overall I think the advice given here is outstanding. Oh, there are some clinkers occasionally, but mostly by people who join, post only to push some agenda, and then fade away. Lovdbygod7 and Kincoin come to mind. But even when someone gives either outright bad advice or wrong information, there are enough concerned members here that they set the record straight.

presleyh · May 20, 2003 10:42AM

Its worth every penney you pay for it!

Oh yeah, its free.

Seriously, much good information is passed around and many hours of research can be found in minutes by hitting the search button.

As to expert advise? A lot of well meaning people often overstep their expertice. But opinions are like you know whats.
I wouldn't go to court with some of the legal advice I've seen on here.

For the novice coin collector it is a gold mine.

coinkat · May 20, 2003 10:45AM

While it is not perfect, there are some very good folks that participate here.

CLASSICS · May 20, 2003 11:04AM

i dont think you can go wrong with the advice given here on the forum......many here have been in the hobby/ business for years. have attented hundred of coin shows, many of them being the ...ana...and have bought, and sold hundreds, if not thousands of coins......julian, and mark, come to mind.....also a few here deal in some very high grade coins worth thousands , and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars.....laura from legends,.....owner of the famous 1913 liberty head nickel..... again mark {coinguy}, and also adrian from texas.........if one of us cant come up with an answer about a series, someone else surely will..... here you will meet some of the most knowledgeable collectors with years of experience....you cant go wrong when you are with the best......

DHeath · May 20, 2003 11:08AM

The irony of that thread is that I met all of its posters except two on these boards. It is sort of an expatriate thread. I like and respect many of the posters, but I see little value in being critical. Each has their own reason for posting to one forum or another, and I respect their reasons. Mine is simply to chat with my friends on both boards. Despite my occasional frustration with PCGS policy, I decided some time ago that I wouldn't let that interfere with my enjoyment of my longtime friendships here. I don't know about you, but that's the best reason to visit any forum.

jeffnpcb · May 20, 2003 11:08AM

MS would be a reach for the mundane! Read it all, get some other input from other sources and increase your library!
Too many synics at times and you may have crap but theirs is MS as well as the info!! Grain of salt on the shore of coin collecting!!!!

darktone · May 20, 2003 11:09AM

I think the advice on this forum is excellent when you learn which forum members know what they are talking about in a particular series and which forum members are clueless but make responses like they are an expert. mike

Singapore · May 20, 2003 11:15AM

XF40 or perhaps slightly finer.

ksteelheader · May 20, 2003 11:17AM

The thread on the other forum was just someones agenda. They spend more time over there pissing about us than actually doing something constructive. As for the advice here, sure sometimes someone gives advice or answers that are not the best, but those same people usually admit to their mistakes when proven wrong. Its one of the best ways to learn in this world that we all live in....Ken

coinguy1 · May 20, 2003 11:19AM

Singapore, you have posted previously about gradeflation - was your XF40 rating based upon the old or current standards?

cladking · May 20, 2003 11:20AM

It seems accuracy of statements is excellent on all the coin sites. Some sites have
more or less detailed information, but generally it is accurate. When not, there is
usually someone who'll let you know pretty quickly that you misspoke or are just full
of hot air. Whether I'm corrected in a post or by PM, I'm always thankful and amend
the statement as necessary.

MadMarty · May 20, 2003 11:20AM

I think the advice here is MS, I have learned soooooo much here. But I still have not figured out how Russ sees those AH Kennedy's from such crappy pictures!

greghansen · May 20, 2003 11:23AM

My experience has been that if you have half a brain and spend a few weeks following the threads, you will quickly identify the threads (and posters) that have something to offer and skip over the other stuff. If I had to consider EVERYTHING posted it would grade no better than VF overall. By exercising editorial judgment about what to read, I can happily give an MS grade to the threads I now bother to read.

Singapore · May 20, 2003 11:27AM

Mark -

It was a net grade, taking into account the good stuff posted by people like yourself and Julian and Laura (who I once met at a show though I didn't reveal my secret identity and she claimed not to be her) and TDN and dorkkarl and Andy, etc. offset by some of the stuff that I find unhelpful.

I keep coming back, so that must mean something. I guess.

copperhead · May 20, 2003 11:27AM

Although there have been many changes in the participants on this board since I joined, I would still challenge anyone to find a board with as much information available as this one. I've visited other boards on numerous occasions, I still believe that C.U. is #1 for info.

Russ · May 20, 2003 11:28AM

<< <i>But I still have not figured out how Russ sees those AH Kennedy's from such crappy pictures! >>

It's a natural talent that one must be born with. Don't even try to figure it out, you will only become discouraged.

Russ, NCNE

ksteelheader · May 20, 2003 11:32AM

But Russ, I know how you do it and I'm going to tell Marty....Ken

cladking · May 20, 2003 11:33AM

<< <i> But I still have not figured out how Russ sees those AH Kennedy's from such crappy pictures! >>

Just as a hawk can see a mouse from great altitude. If you don't hafta, you just gotta wanna.

Dog97 · May 20, 2003 12:17PM

You have world class dealers & collectors here who are unequaled anywhere else. It doesn't matter what series you're asking about so I said MS.
However if you take advice from a swaying palm tree from the Open Forum, a piss expert, or some scumbag eBay AT doctor who came here to defend his auctions you may be in trouble.

dragon · May 20, 2003 12:39PM

The advice and opinions given here in this forum are all over the map. There is a minority of people here that are very knowledgeable and experienced who consistently give excellent advice, and there are others here whos advice is so awful that they should be given the electric chair IMO.

dragon

Sumo · May 20, 2003 1:39PM

I appreciate all the advice given here. Being new to the board and collecting, all the advice I get is welcome and taken with a grain of salt. No person is perfect in giving advice. It's the experience of the person giving the advice that I respect most.

coindaughter · May 20, 2003 1:47PM

I vote MS. But like a 60 vs a 70, you still have to balance the information and use your own best judgment in many cases, but the numismatic knowlege is outstanding.

I'm amazed at what I have learned. My family is impressed, too! I know there is so much more to learn, and I lurk nearly every day picking up more knowledge.

Thanks one and all!

Mrpawn · May 20, 2003 2:32PM

Advised my own Mother to read these forums. She is smart enough to see through the BS and glean the good info from the chaff.

She "retired" at 42 years old (a few years ago since I am now 43) but is too busy to just sit around and be bored and recently (finally) got around to collecting coins.

Bear · May 20, 2003 2:53PM

The regular contributors on this Forum are composed of knowledgable

dealers and collectors. But other regulars give the best of whatever they have to offer.

We have generalists, specialists and just average working people with average collections

that give common sense answeres to questions.We all give what we can to this family when we can.

Those 6 people who believe that the advice on this Forum is poor, appear to have a game plan that

is not in sync with the welfare and wellbeing of the membership of this Forum. We here do not say

that one must limit oneself to only one website or one company or one group of people. But if you

hold this Forum in such low esteem why in the world do you keep returning to this Forum? If nothing

else, we have the wonderful stories of our Royal Bard, Sir Clankeye, which make this Forum and its

family of members something rather special. The Little Bear

RYK · May 20, 2003 3:01PM

I have learned a lot from the threads on these boards, enjoyed the dialogue and community spirit, and have seen a lot of pictures of a lot of nice coins, overall excellent.

Gilbert · May 21, 2003 12:07AM

greghansen and bear have expressed my sentiments pretty much.

As far as the other thread goes, and I haven't seen it, but the feelings it evokes is the primary reason I don't participate much on the other forums.

It really bothers me when someone who I've come to respect turns around and makes derogatory generalizations about the forum membership as a whole, instead of directing their disdain an whomever it is they have issue with. I guess my MD would call that "displaced anger," but knowing that doesn't necessarily make it accpetable.

In any event, I am confident that just about any advice sought here will rank among the best. It's simply a matter of knowing whose advice to accept, which of course, comes with time, so I voted MS.

ER · May 21, 2003 12:12AM

Numero UNO
MS69*

IrishMike · May 21, 2003 12:39AM

Interesting thread, I've been accused of being anti-PCGS on this forum and anti-NGC on their site. Anyway thought I would weigh in with my thoughts. Both sites are replete with advise given out freely by members who have spent a long time in the hobby and are a wealth of information. The post on the NGC forum was about new and semi-new members giving out advise that quite frankly is sometimes less than correct or helpful. As threads do here it evolved into some complaints about some of the things happening here. Quite frankly nothing that was posted there has been posted on these boards. Before you jump all over that thread think about that.

Posters get criticized in here for being honest about their feelings and sometimes banned for being anti PCGS. In a perfect world PCGS would be perfect. Now posters are being criticized for posting comments that some of us might disagree with on a forum that is not hosted by PCGS. The railing that goes on here about the NGC board being replete with anti PGCS forum posts is ridiculous. Those that believe that need to examine whether collect coins or PCGS brownie points. The herd mentality that developes on both boards isn't always on the mark.

If these same discussions were being held buy us a show for example over a brew, things would get hashed out, we probably would end up laughing at each other as well as ourselves. The point is, it's ok to foster critical thinking. What collector among us hasn't admitted at least once that someone straigthened us out on something or that thoughts we once had needed to be adjusted. This is a hobby and a good place to have an open mind.

Bear · May 21, 2003 12:46AM

Irish Mike, speaking on behalf of the herd, Moooooooooooo.

AbesNeighbor · May 21, 2003 1:24AM

I'm more of a "Lurker" than a participant. I have learned a lot being a lurker, especially about coin issues with which i am not familiar.(Which is most of them).

Actually, I think a person can learn more about what they don't know about numismatics here.

MacCoin · May 21, 2003 2:11AM

ain't this a crazy poll.
it ain't that I don't trust you guys but I do feel better doing my own research. like the dog said there are some world class dealers and collectors posting here.

DCAMFranklin · May 21, 2003 3:55AM

Went across the street and found the thread to which you refer. Seems to me the primary concern was in regard to comments made to the Mormon gold thread. Seems some Members here stated personal opinion or reasoning as fact and some people at NGSee have called BS. When dealing with very specific, highly defined areas of the hobby, there is a tendency for some Members, with little knowledge of the series, to opine. That's a shame. Plenty of series and specific varieties of which I know little or nothing. That is when I shutup, read and learn-paying particular attention to those Members with a strong, credible track record of knowledge in that series or variety.

Greg makes some good observations as well.

Trime · May 21, 2003 4:55AM

In general the information ( not exactly advice) is outstanding. I personally have learned a lot from members of this forum. Of course, with so many members with different experience levels and backgrounds, we have a highly diverse constituency. The concept is that of give and take. Those most knowledgeable contribute the most in quality if not quantity. Despite all this , there is a tremendous amount of talent on the forum roles. I consider myself fortunate to participate.

Bear · May 21, 2003 5:02AM

It must be wonderful for some people across the street, to know everything about everything.

These brilliant people are then fre to criticise everything and everyone, everywhere. It must be a

heavy burden to be all knowing. Its just unfortunate that these people of great knowledge and

intellegence, also exhibit rudeness, meaness , arrogance and just a tad of cruelty. Apparently most of us

folks over on this Forum are just illiterate, misinformed maroons, no matter how succesful we might

have been in our jobs or bussinesses. It must be nice to be young, arrogant and smarter then

anyone else in the whole world.

EVillageProwler · May 21, 2003 6:52AM

Bear,

Did you actually read that thread? I hadn't gone back to re-read the earlier posts of that thread, but as I recall the earlier threads didn't seem at all like how you're making it. And, not the newer posts too.

As I recall, the thread was specifically about a select segment of the membership here and how they ought to be more considered with their posts. Certainly it wasn't about everyone here, and I doubt anyone here (or there) considers you to be a font of misinformation.

EVP

abmluce · May 21, 2003 6:58AM

I love the activity here. I miss a day and it can take me hours to check out everything I missed!
I once compared here to the other side of the street as redbull is to green tea!

Bear · May 21, 2003 7:04AM

EVP - I take the sum total of comments and not a single thread or several threads.

We should be honored on this Forum, that what we say and do is taken note of elsewhere.

As for being, or not being a font of misinformation, I rather consider myself a flowing, babbling brook

of quality drivel .

dragon · May 21, 2003 7:42AM

Don't listen to Bear...........

How good is the advice posted here?

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