With the huge amount of information that is available on the Internet, it may seem like a daunting task to find quality information. Because of this, we at the Numismatic Hub decided to compile a few of our favorite sites. There are hundreds of other invaluable resources out there, so leave a comment with your favorite site!
Coin Update
With new content daily, Coin Update provides collectors with a wide array of information from various areas of the numismatic industry. Coin Update also features various authors and contributors who are experts in their fields, who produce content specifically written with the collector in mind. Another unique feature on Coin Update is that you can find detailed information on the new coins that the U.S Mint will be producing each year. Coin Update is a great resource for collectors who want to stay up to date with all areas of numismatics and you can check out the site at http://www.coinupdate.com/.
CoinTalk
CoinTalk is a privately owned, online forum with just under 30,000 members. With 30,000 members, it would seem as if it would be impossible to get any information from this site, but that is truly not the case. You can post any question in one of the many topic areas, and get a response quite quickly. The members of CoinTalk are friendly and helpful and will always try to answer any question that is posted to the site. One of the unique features of CoinTalk is its “What’s it Worth” section, where users can post any numismatic related item that they have and receive input on what it’s worth. Overall, CoinTalk is an excellent resource for collectors who have questions that they need answered and just want to talk about everything in the numismatic world! Check out CoinTalk at http://www.cointalk.com/.
Heritage Auctions
Heritage Auctions is the world’s largest numismatic auctioneer in the world. With just under 600,000 members, Heritage offers collectors only the finest coins in the world. Heritage is not only an invaluable auction platform; just by visiting Heritage Auctions website, you can access price guides, look up realized prices from past auctions and read insightful articles and commentary. You can find Heritage Auctions at http://www.ha.com/.
EBay
EBay is the world’s largest auction website in the world, and is a great way to buy and sell coins. EBay allows users to consistently view over 8,000 pages of coin auctions and gives buyers the opportunity to occasionally get some steals. EBay is a great place to sell coins as well, just make sure to follow their regulations when it comes to selling coins! Visit EBay at http://www.ebay.com/.
A Young Numismatist View on Numismatics
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Interview with Numismatic photographer, Todd Pollock of BluCC Photos
Todd Pollock is a leading numismatic photographer, who travels around the country to the largest coin shows and to date, has taken over 150,000 coin images. If you are interested in having your coins photographed, please visit Todd at his website BluCC Photos. If you are on Facebook and would like to be up to date on all of Todd's activities, please visit his facebook page
at BluCC Photos Facebook Page.
Numismatic Hub: How did you get into photographing coins?
Todd Pollock: When I got back into numismatics a few years ago, I joined an online forum. It wasn’t long after that, that I started doing some images as I sold some coins I had owned for a while. From that point on things just grew and I wanted to keep improving on my images. Since then I have taken well over 150,000 images of coins and still strive to improve my images. Part of what got me started was imaging my own set to carry on my iPod so I could see my set while at shows. With today’s technology having your coins imaged can help you become a better collector and also save you from purchase mistakes.
NH: It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to take a proper photo; did you have any prior experience as a photographer before getting involved with imaging coins?
TP: I was very active in photography in high school and college. For a while, I was a photography major in college. I decided that photography was not my path and pursued a degree in Economics and later a M.B.A., now as things go full circle, I am back to being a photographer. I even have a small box at home that is a couple folded photos, the top of the box is a close-up of Lincoln cent reverse, showing Lincoln inside the memorial. My guess is I did that image about 20 years ago for a high school photo class. While I think some photography background may have been helpful it is not a prerequisite for taking good coin photos.
NH: Photographing coins is an activity that most struggle with doing successfully. What does it take to take the perfect photo?
TP: Sometimes it feels like the planets need to align. What it really takes are for several things to go right. First you need the right coin, a coin with a good look and strike. Then if the coin is in a slab, you need a slab that is still in great shape and the coin to be perfect in the slab. Next it is time to get the lights just right for that coin. The perfect image is different to everyone. What I think may be a perfect image of a coin, others may not care for. Coins have many different looks depending on the angles, so there are many interpretations of each coin. I shoot my coins straight on because I feel that is how I look at coins and it gives the truest representation of the coin. To me a perfect image represents the true look of the coin and will show luster and the texture in the fields. Showing off the texture in the fields is one of the things I really like to see in a photo. I don’t like the fields washed out.
NH: There are many aspects involved in photographing coins, from determining the proper lighting to choosing a suitable lens. Out of all the components involved in the photographing process, which do you consider to be most important?
TP: I feel lighting is the most important part of the process. I don’t think there is one type of light out there that is “THE” light to have. What is more important is finding the light that works for you and working to maximize that light. I have been through several sets of lights and occasionally try some new ones, but for now I am set on my lights. I have a drawer full of prior experiment lights to prove it. I am not trying to downplay the importance of camera and lens, but the right setup and wrong lights will not do the coins justice. It is equally important to play with the lights. Moving the lighting angle all over and getting a sense for how the lights react with the coin is important.
NH: Your photos are more than impressive, how did you get to the skill level that you are at today?
TP: It has been a long road and it really comes down to practice and trying new things. When I feel I am at a certain level with my images, I do my best to concentrate on a new angle or type that I feel is not up to par. Some areas took some patience for me because I might not own many examples of a certain series so I had to wait until I had a few examples to play with. I wanted to be well rounded in my imaging and not just focus on one type of coin or metal. I manage to be imaging on a constant basis and rarely more than a couple days go by without having some coins to image so I never really have a break. I encourage people to find time to shoot a little bit every week just to keep in the groove. It becomes second nature after a while with practice.
NH: Why do you think so many people have trouble imaging coins?
TP: The process on imaging coins is quite different than taking images of your normal daily life. It is hard to change the thought process to image coins. Add to that the amount of time it takes for practice. It takes some real patience to learn and practice, many don’t have the time to spend on taking hobby photos and for some frustration kicks in. I would guess that people who struggle with coin images have not spent enough time learning how moving the lights effects their images. The relationship between the lights and the coin is very important to understand. Also slabs bring a unique issue into the equation, coins are tough enough then adding a layer of plastic does not make it easier.
NH: You travel around the country, going to some of the biggest coin shows, not as a dealer but as a photographer. What is the experience of imaging coins at some of the biggest shows in the country like?
TP: I did imaging at about 14 shows last year, none near where I live. A couple shows were within driving range but most were over 1500 miles away. I am now able to go to many more shows and stay quite busy at each show doing imaging. There are often shows where I do not see much of the bourse simply due to a lack of time to walk around. Being able to do the imaging at large shows is a real treat, I have been able to meet many collectors and customers of mine and have seen some amazing coins. I meet many people who just come by to say hi and they appreciate seeing my photos online. The shows have always been great fun, I don’t think I have the stress of most the dealers so I am able to just have fun with customers and coins. At shows I see a huge mix of coins from collectors, dealers, auction houses, and everyone else related to coins. I also traveled to shoot a few collections last year, being able to spend time with a collector and their coins being imaged is a great experience. The amount I have learned from the people I work for is something I could not have found anywhere else. My show experiences have really allowed me to become a better collector as it brought on many experiences I would not have been able to be a part of had I not moved into photography.
The hard part about shows is that I am there to do the imaging so I cant spend much time looking at the coins I am imaging. Sure I see them through the camera but I don’t get to sit down and really enjoy some of the amazing coins I get to image. At every show there are quite a few coins you just want to sit down and stare at for a while.
NH: What has been your favorite coin to image?
TP: This is a question I get at every show and I never have a great answer. I have seen some of the most amazing coins of all denominations, values and countries of issue. Naturally shooting coins that are considered to be ultra rarities is always special, and coins that are worth more than my house always give me goose bumps. I am a DMPL Morgan collector and I see lots of Morgans so I always enjoy them. I will never narrow it down to one image as a favorite. As I go to look for these images it is very obvious I could list hundreds of coins as favorites and there are hundreds of deserving coins in my image database.
NH: What has been your hardest coin to image? Your easiest?
TP: The hardest is easy, toned proofs. On business strike toners, you tend to sacrifice luster for color. On proof examples it goes a step further. On a toned proof example it is very hard to catch the color and the mirrors. Toned proofs have been giving me fits for a long time and I am just now working out a method that's beginning to work well on them.
On the easy side I would say business strike seated halves and quarters. I have no idea why but they come to mind as being consistently on the good image side. They have good strikes and an overall design that images well. In general I find copper to be the easiest metal to image, I don’t collect copper but it just seems to behave well under the glass.
NH: Do you have any advice for collectors who want to start imaging their own coins?
TP: Practice, practice, practice followed by lights, lights, lights.
You don’t need the worlds best camera to take coin images, but preferably one with a macro mode, a white balance setting and focus you can control.
There is no one perfect setup for imaging coins, so practice and enjoy what you learn about your coins. Your images will bring out the good and bad in a collection and everything you learn is important. Don’t get frustrated!! It is not an overnight process so take it as a challenge and give yourself some time to tackle it.
at BluCC Photos Facebook Page.
Numismatic Hub: How did you get into photographing coins?
Todd Pollock: When I got back into numismatics a few years ago, I joined an online forum. It wasn’t long after that, that I started doing some images as I sold some coins I had owned for a while. From that point on things just grew and I wanted to keep improving on my images. Since then I have taken well over 150,000 images of coins and still strive to improve my images. Part of what got me started was imaging my own set to carry on my iPod so I could see my set while at shows. With today’s technology having your coins imaged can help you become a better collector and also save you from purchase mistakes.
NH: It takes a lot of skill and knowledge to take a proper photo; did you have any prior experience as a photographer before getting involved with imaging coins?
TP: I was very active in photography in high school and college. For a while, I was a photography major in college. I decided that photography was not my path and pursued a degree in Economics and later a M.B.A., now as things go full circle, I am back to being a photographer. I even have a small box at home that is a couple folded photos, the top of the box is a close-up of Lincoln cent reverse, showing Lincoln inside the memorial. My guess is I did that image about 20 years ago for a high school photo class. While I think some photography background may have been helpful it is not a prerequisite for taking good coin photos.
 |
| Image Courtesy of http://www.bluccphotos.com/ The Chippewa Collection |
NH: Photographing coins is an activity that most struggle with doing successfully. What does it take to take the perfect photo?
TP: Sometimes it feels like the planets need to align. What it really takes are for several things to go right. First you need the right coin, a coin with a good look and strike. Then if the coin is in a slab, you need a slab that is still in great shape and the coin to be perfect in the slab. Next it is time to get the lights just right for that coin. The perfect image is different to everyone. What I think may be a perfect image of a coin, others may not care for. Coins have many different looks depending on the angles, so there are many interpretations of each coin. I shoot my coins straight on because I feel that is how I look at coins and it gives the truest representation of the coin. To me a perfect image represents the true look of the coin and will show luster and the texture in the fields. Showing off the texture in the fields is one of the things I really like to see in a photo. I don’t like the fields washed out.
NH: There are many aspects involved in photographing coins, from determining the proper lighting to choosing a suitable lens. Out of all the components involved in the photographing process, which do you consider to be most important?
TP: I feel lighting is the most important part of the process. I don’t think there is one type of light out there that is “THE” light to have. What is more important is finding the light that works for you and working to maximize that light. I have been through several sets of lights and occasionally try some new ones, but for now I am set on my lights. I have a drawer full of prior experiment lights to prove it. I am not trying to downplay the importance of camera and lens, but the right setup and wrong lights will not do the coins justice. It is equally important to play with the lights. Moving the lighting angle all over and getting a sense for how the lights react with the coin is important.
 |
| Image Courtesy of http://www.bluccphotos.com/ 1884-o Morgan Dollar PCGS 65 “The Textile Tennis racket”, Ex. Mike DeFalco, The Aurora Borealis Collection |
NH: Your photos are more than impressive, how did you get to the skill level that you are at today?
TP: It has been a long road and it really comes down to practice and trying new things. When I feel I am at a certain level with my images, I do my best to concentrate on a new angle or type that I feel is not up to par. Some areas took some patience for me because I might not own many examples of a certain series so I had to wait until I had a few examples to play with. I wanted to be well rounded in my imaging and not just focus on one type of coin or metal. I manage to be imaging on a constant basis and rarely more than a couple days go by without having some coins to image so I never really have a break. I encourage people to find time to shoot a little bit every week just to keep in the groove. It becomes second nature after a while with practice.
NH: Why do you think so many people have trouble imaging coins?
TP: The process on imaging coins is quite different than taking images of your normal daily life. It is hard to change the thought process to image coins. Add to that the amount of time it takes for practice. It takes some real patience to learn and practice, many don’t have the time to spend on taking hobby photos and for some frustration kicks in. I would guess that people who struggle with coin images have not spent enough time learning how moving the lights effects their images. The relationship between the lights and the coin is very important to understand. Also slabs bring a unique issue into the equation, coins are tough enough then adding a layer of plastic does not make it easier.
 |
| Image Courtesy of http://www.bluccphotos.com/ The McCullagh Collection |
NH: You travel around the country, going to some of the biggest coin shows, not as a dealer but as a photographer. What is the experience of imaging coins at some of the biggest shows in the country like?
TP: I did imaging at about 14 shows last year, none near where I live. A couple shows were within driving range but most were over 1500 miles away. I am now able to go to many more shows and stay quite busy at each show doing imaging. There are often shows where I do not see much of the bourse simply due to a lack of time to walk around. Being able to do the imaging at large shows is a real treat, I have been able to meet many collectors and customers of mine and have seen some amazing coins. I meet many people who just come by to say hi and they appreciate seeing my photos online. The shows have always been great fun, I don’t think I have the stress of most the dealers so I am able to just have fun with customers and coins. At shows I see a huge mix of coins from collectors, dealers, auction houses, and everyone else related to coins. I also traveled to shoot a few collections last year, being able to spend time with a collector and their coins being imaged is a great experience. The amount I have learned from the people I work for is something I could not have found anywhere else. My show experiences have really allowed me to become a better collector as it brought on many experiences I would not have been able to be a part of had I not moved into photography.
The hard part about shows is that I am there to do the imaging so I cant spend much time looking at the coins I am imaging. Sure I see them through the camera but I don’t get to sit down and really enjoy some of the amazing coins I get to image. At every show there are quite a few coins you just want to sit down and stare at for a while.
NH: What has been your favorite coin to image?
TP: This is a question I get at every show and I never have a great answer. I have seen some of the most amazing coins of all denominations, values and countries of issue. Naturally shooting coins that are considered to be ultra rarities is always special, and coins that are worth more than my house always give me goose bumps. I am a DMPL Morgan collector and I see lots of Morgans so I always enjoy them. I will never narrow it down to one image as a favorite. As I go to look for these images it is very obvious I could list hundreds of coins as favorites and there are hundreds of deserving coins in my image database.
 |
| Image Courtesy of http://www.blueccphotos.com/ |
NH: What has been your hardest coin to image? Your easiest?
TP: The hardest is easy, toned proofs. On business strike toners, you tend to sacrifice luster for color. On proof examples it goes a step further. On a toned proof example it is very hard to catch the color and the mirrors. Toned proofs have been giving me fits for a long time and I am just now working out a method that's beginning to work well on them.
On the easy side I would say business strike seated halves and quarters. I have no idea why but they come to mind as being consistently on the good image side. They have good strikes and an overall design that images well. In general I find copper to be the easiest metal to image, I don’t collect copper but it just seems to behave well under the glass.
NH: Do you have any advice for collectors who want to start imaging their own coins?
TP: Practice, practice, practice followed by lights, lights, lights.
You don’t need the worlds best camera to take coin images, but preferably one with a macro mode, a white balance setting and focus you can control.
There is no one perfect setup for imaging coins, so practice and enjoy what you learn about your coins. Your images will bring out the good and bad in a collection and everything you learn is important. Don’t get frustrated!! It is not an overnight process so take it as a challenge and give yourself some time to tackle it.
 |
| Image Courtesy of http://www.bluccphotos.com/ and http://www.thepennylady.com/ |
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
"What NOT to do on Ebay" I'm Not Touching That!
You always hear about people catching sharks, only to open them up to find that the shark had eaten a tire or a license plate.
This is something new for me, a dime that had been found in a chicken's gizzard after it had been butchered. Evidently, Chickens swallow small stones that go into their gizzard and help eat grains and other hard foods.
I don't know If I'd really want to touch this after knowing where it was found, but it does look pretty cool.
Check out the auction here- I'm Not Touching That!
This is something new for me, a dime that had been found in a chicken's gizzard after it had been butchered. Evidently, Chickens swallow small stones that go into their gizzard and help eat grains and other hard foods.
I don't know If I'd really want to touch this after knowing where it was found, but it does look pretty cool.
Check out the auction here- I'm Not Touching That!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Interview with Numismatic Cataloger at Heritage Auctions, John Dale Beety
The next installment of the Numismatic Hub's interview series "Mind's of Numismatists" is with John Dale Beety; numismatic cataloger at Heritage Auctions. John Dale Beety joined Heritage Auctions as a numismatic cataloger in June 2006, immediately after graduation from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Please visit Heritage Auctions at http://www.ha.com/
Numismatic Hub: How did you first get involved with numismatics?
John Dale Beety: Most collectors have an “origin story.” The funny thing is that I don’t. Neither of my parents collected coins, so I didn’t get “the bug” there. All I remember is that in third grade I was sort of interested in coins, by fifth grade I was definitely interested in coins, and in middle school I was hooked and hopeless.
NH: You were quite an active young numismatist. How did your experiences as a young numismatist prepare you for your current career?
JDB: Being part of the coin-collecting community was really important for me growing up, and as I matured I seriously thought about numismatics as a career. I got so much encouragement and advice as a Young Numismatist, and from so many people, that it’d be impossible to name them all. It’s pretty much a case of “If you think you should be thanked, you’re right, and thank you.”
The names that come to mind, though, in rough timeline order: R.W. Julian, who was my hometown mentor, and all the rest of the Logansport Coin Club; Gail Baker, who got me my first YN scholarship to the Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs; Stuart Levine, who bought me my first coin book past the Guide Book (Pollock’s pattern reference) and told me to take numismatics as far as I wanted to take it; Julian Leidman, who gave me a great education and acted as my agent at the second Pittman Auction for less than the price of a steak dinner; Polly Edwards “Ms. Polly” Pittman and the rest of the Pittman family for two Buffalo nickels and all the encouragement a teenager could want; David W. Akers, for inspiring me to be a cataloger; and Paul Minshull, who gave me a chance to be an intern for Heritage and then a cataloger.
NH: Many college students hope to graduate and enter the “real world” with a secured job, but unfortunately that’s virtually never the case. You had the luxury of being hired right out of college. What was that experience like?
JDB: An exercise in persistence. I’d interned at Heritage two summers before I was hired, working with the Wholesale and Coin Consignment departments. I sent an e-mail response to a “help wanted” posting on the Heritage site looking for a coin cataloger. Paul Minshull was understandably skeptical—everyone else in the cataloging department is old enough to be my dad, after all—but he gave me a copy of the super-secret cataloging test, and he liked what he saw. The chief cataloger agreed, and I was in. I graduated from college in Indiana in May, and two weeks later I walked into the Heritage office in Dallas for my first day on the job. It was my 21st birthday. Best present ever? It’s close.
JDB: Besides the coins, obviously? (laughs) The cataloging department has some great people. I’m one of four full-timers in the Dallas office. The chief cataloger, Mark van Winkle, is seriously underrated. He’s the ultimate Mr. Inside—a great coin mind who has been so loyal to Heritage and kept such a low profile overall that nobody really appreciates how much knowledge he has in his head. Our senior cataloger, Mark Borckardt, is more Mr. Outside. He has the books, the articles, the prominence, and he has so much talent and skill that he can back up all the hype he gets and then some. I used to be the new guy, but I’m not anymore, actually. We have another full-time cataloger, Dave Stone. He isn’t well-known outside of Heritage, but he has an amazing numismatic library and he knows how to use it. Great guy, too. Co-workers and bosses make any desk job, as cataloging is, and I’m lucky to have the ones I do.
NH: Your job permits you to view and handle some of the rarest coins in existence. Is it possible to choose your favorite piece?
JDB: I’m a U.S. coin cataloger, but I’m going to go outside the U.S. and to Canada. I helped the World Coins department catalog the Canadiana Collection, and one of the coins I wrote was a 1936 Dot cent. The 1936 Dot cent is the most iconic rarity of Canadian coinage, almost like Canada’s answer to the U.S. 1804 dollar. David W. Akers spent several years in the 1990s cataloging and selling the Pittman Collection, and that 1936 Dot cent had been part of the collection. I’ve already said that Mr. Akers was my inspiration to become a cataloger, so being able to follow in his footsteps on that coin was a thrill.
NH: What has been your most momentous experience in your numismatic career?
JDB: Early 2008. The Queller Family Collection of Silver Dollars comes in, and the centerpiece is an 1804 dollar, a Class I or Original. We decided to do a multipart description—one person talks about the history, another about originals versus restrikes, and so on—so we’d all have a piece of the description. Then we parceled out different pieces to different catalogers. Our list of parts didn’t have a physical description of the coin, what it looked like, so I sent an e-mail around saying, asking about the physical description and who was doing that. The response: Good point, and I was.
So I’m 22, I have an 1804 dollar on my desk, I’m trying to write about it, and I have two thoughts buzzing in my head: “Does it get any better than this?” and “What the heck am I doing?” Just when I’m about to drive myself crazy with those thoughts, I get another: “It’s still a coin. Just write about the coin.” That’s how I got myself settled enough to just sit down, write, and get the job done.
NH: Where do you see the numismatic industry heading in the next five years?
JDB: Actually, I don’t think about that too much. Since I’m a cataloger who doesn’t go to shows often, I’m rather insulated from market trends and why collectors are selling. If I were a consignment director, always talking to customers, I’d probably have a better answer.
NH: Besides being a cataloger, you wrote for the Heritage blog. What was your favorite topic to blog about?
JDB: Coins, but talking about coins to a different audience. Writing for a catalog, there are specific things to mention about a coin, its appearance, history, and so on, and it all has to be presented formally, like the different catalogers are speaking with a single voice. The blog allowed me to exercise a different voice, more conversational, more like myself. I couldn’t get away with a pop music reference in the catalog, like name-checking a Bowling for Soup song. I could do it in the blog.
NH: As someone who was an involved young numismatist, why do you think that there aren’t more young kids involved with the hobby?
NH: In regards to the previous question, what do you think can be done to get more kids to become involved with numismatics?
JDB: Numismatics will always be in competition with popular culture. I grew up in the 1990s, and for most of that time, if I had to choose between coin collecting and watching Nickelodeon, my first question would be, “Is Legends of the Hidden Temple on?” My best advice is to make coin collecting accessible and friendly, but also not to force the issue. I saw a lot of kids enthusiastic to be at coin shows, and more who were dragged there by parents and visibly annoyed. Some in the first group are still with the hobby. The second group? Almost none.
NH: Do you have any advice for young numismatists looking to prosper in the industry?
JDB: Step one is to figure out what you’d want to do if you weren’t a professional numismatist, and get a college degree that will let you pursue that other job. Being a professional numismatist isn’t for everyone, and you don’t want to be caught in a position where you hate your job and only have a high school diploma. Other successful numismatists have started after high school or dropped out of college to start work, but it’s not something I would recommend.
If you decide to become a professional numismatist, your relationship with the hobby is going to change, because it won’t be your hobby anymore, but your career. You have to be prepared for that. Having another hobby really helps, because after a hard day’s work, you’ll need a way to blow off some steam, and coin collecting won’t be able to fill that need for you. Myself, I’m a reader and gamer-geek.
Going out on your own and becoming a coin dealer is like any other entrepreneurial venture. It’s hard work and has a high chance of failure. Any longtime dealer who says there haven’t been any scary moments is a liar. Going to work for a large firm, like Heritage, offers more stability, but it comes with many of the same expectations as any other corporate career.
All that sounds like a big bucket of cold water, and that’s what it’s meant to be. Most people who think they want to be professional numismatists, YNs and adults alike, are better off keeping their hobby exactly that: a hobby. For others, though, being a professional numismatist is like a calling. If that’s where you are, I wish you the best, and I hope I get to congratulate you when you make it to the top.
All images courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Numismatic Hub: How did you first get involved with numismatics?
John Dale Beety: Most collectors have an “origin story.” The funny thing is that I don’t. Neither of my parents collected coins, so I didn’t get “the bug” there. All I remember is that in third grade I was sort of interested in coins, by fifth grade I was definitely interested in coins, and in middle school I was hooked and hopeless.
NH: You were quite an active young numismatist. How did your experiences as a young numismatist prepare you for your current career?
JDB: Being part of the coin-collecting community was really important for me growing up, and as I matured I seriously thought about numismatics as a career. I got so much encouragement and advice as a Young Numismatist, and from so many people, that it’d be impossible to name them all. It’s pretty much a case of “If you think you should be thanked, you’re right, and thank you.”
The names that come to mind, though, in rough timeline order: R.W. Julian, who was my hometown mentor, and all the rest of the Logansport Coin Club; Gail Baker, who got me my first YN scholarship to the Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs; Stuart Levine, who bought me my first coin book past the Guide Book (Pollock’s pattern reference) and told me to take numismatics as far as I wanted to take it; Julian Leidman, who gave me a great education and acted as my agent at the second Pittman Auction for less than the price of a steak dinner; Polly Edwards “Ms. Polly” Pittman and the rest of the Pittman family for two Buffalo nickels and all the encouragement a teenager could want; David W. Akers, for inspiring me to be a cataloger; and Paul Minshull, who gave me a chance to be an intern for Heritage and then a cataloger.
NH: Many college students hope to graduate and enter the “real world” with a secured job, but unfortunately that’s virtually never the case. You had the luxury of being hired right out of college. What was that experience like?
JDB: An exercise in persistence. I’d interned at Heritage two summers before I was hired, working with the Wholesale and Coin Consignment departments. I sent an e-mail response to a “help wanted” posting on the Heritage site looking for a coin cataloger. Paul Minshull was understandably skeptical—everyone else in the cataloging department is old enough to be my dad, after all—but he gave me a copy of the super-secret cataloging test, and he liked what he saw. The chief cataloger agreed, and I was in. I graduated from college in Indiana in May, and two weeks later I walked into the Heritage office in Dallas for my first day on the job. It was my 21st birthday. Best present ever? It’s close.NH: You work as a numismatic cataloger for Heritage Auction Galleries. What is your favorite aspect of your job?
JDB: Besides the coins, obviously? (laughs) The cataloging department has some great people. I’m one of four full-timers in the Dallas office. The chief cataloger, Mark van Winkle, is seriously underrated. He’s the ultimate Mr. Inside—a great coin mind who has been so loyal to Heritage and kept such a low profile overall that nobody really appreciates how much knowledge he has in his head. Our senior cataloger, Mark Borckardt, is more Mr. Outside. He has the books, the articles, the prominence, and he has so much talent and skill that he can back up all the hype he gets and then some. I used to be the new guy, but I’m not anymore, actually. We have another full-time cataloger, Dave Stone. He isn’t well-known outside of Heritage, but he has an amazing numismatic library and he knows how to use it. Great guy, too. Co-workers and bosses make any desk job, as cataloging is, and I’m lucky to have the ones I do.
NH: Your job permits you to view and handle some of the rarest coins in existence. Is it possible to choose your favorite piece?
JDB: I’m a U.S. coin cataloger, but I’m going to go outside the U.S. and to Canada. I helped the World Coins department catalog the Canadiana Collection, and one of the coins I wrote was a 1936 Dot cent. The 1936 Dot cent is the most iconic rarity of Canadian coinage, almost like Canada’s answer to the U.S. 1804 dollar. David W. Akers spent several years in the 1990s cataloging and selling the Pittman Collection, and that 1936 Dot cent had been part of the collection. I’ve already said that Mr. Akers was my inspiration to become a cataloger, so being able to follow in his footsteps on that coin was a thrill.
NH: What has been your most momentous experience in your numismatic career?
JDB: Early 2008. The Queller Family Collection of Silver Dollars comes in, and the centerpiece is an 1804 dollar, a Class I or Original. We decided to do a multipart description—one person talks about the history, another about originals versus restrikes, and so on—so we’d all have a piece of the description. Then we parceled out different pieces to different catalogers. Our list of parts didn’t have a physical description of the coin, what it looked like, so I sent an e-mail around saying, asking about the physical description and who was doing that. The response: Good point, and I was.
So I’m 22, I have an 1804 dollar on my desk, I’m trying to write about it, and I have two thoughts buzzing in my head: “Does it get any better than this?” and “What the heck am I doing?” Just when I’m about to drive myself crazy with those thoughts, I get another: “It’s still a coin. Just write about the coin.” That’s how I got myself settled enough to just sit down, write, and get the job done.
NH: Where do you see the numismatic industry heading in the next five years?
JDB: Actually, I don’t think about that too much. Since I’m a cataloger who doesn’t go to shows often, I’m rather insulated from market trends and why collectors are selling. If I were a consignment director, always talking to customers, I’d probably have a better answer.
NH: Besides being a cataloger, you wrote for the Heritage blog. What was your favorite topic to blog about?
JDB: Coins, but talking about coins to a different audience. Writing for a catalog, there are specific things to mention about a coin, its appearance, history, and so on, and it all has to be presented formally, like the different catalogers are speaking with a single voice. The blog allowed me to exercise a different voice, more conversational, more like myself. I couldn’t get away with a pop music reference in the catalog, like name-checking a Bowling for Soup song. I could do it in the blog.
NH: As someone who was an involved young numismatist, why do you think that there aren’t more young kids involved with the hobby?
JDB: I look at it a different way. How do we have so many now? Compared to when I was an active Young Numismatist, I’ve seen many more YNs come through the ranks. I really credit things like the 50 States Quarters® program. It’s given kids a good place to start with collecting, which I think was missing through most of the 1990s.
NH: In regards to the previous question, what do you think can be done to get more kids to become involved with numismatics?
JDB: Numismatics will always be in competition with popular culture. I grew up in the 1990s, and for most of that time, if I had to choose between coin collecting and watching Nickelodeon, my first question would be, “Is Legends of the Hidden Temple on?” My best advice is to make coin collecting accessible and friendly, but also not to force the issue. I saw a lot of kids enthusiastic to be at coin shows, and more who were dragged there by parents and visibly annoyed. Some in the first group are still with the hobby. The second group? Almost none.
NH: Do you have any advice for young numismatists looking to prosper in the industry?
JDB: Step one is to figure out what you’d want to do if you weren’t a professional numismatist, and get a college degree that will let you pursue that other job. Being a professional numismatist isn’t for everyone, and you don’t want to be caught in a position where you hate your job and only have a high school diploma. Other successful numismatists have started after high school or dropped out of college to start work, but it’s not something I would recommend.
If you decide to become a professional numismatist, your relationship with the hobby is going to change, because it won’t be your hobby anymore, but your career. You have to be prepared for that. Having another hobby really helps, because after a hard day’s work, you’ll need a way to blow off some steam, and coin collecting won’t be able to fill that need for you. Myself, I’m a reader and gamer-geek.
Going out on your own and becoming a coin dealer is like any other entrepreneurial venture. It’s hard work and has a high chance of failure. Any longtime dealer who says there haven’t been any scary moments is a liar. Going to work for a large firm, like Heritage, offers more stability, but it comes with many of the same expectations as any other corporate career.
All that sounds like a big bucket of cold water, and that’s what it’s meant to be. Most people who think they want to be professional numismatists, YNs and adults alike, are better off keeping their hobby exactly that: a hobby. For others, though, being a professional numismatist is like a calling. If that’s where you are, I wish you the best, and I hope I get to congratulate you when you make it to the top.
All images courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
I Don't Even Know What To Say About This!
Words cannot adequately describe this auction, and especially its seller.
Clearly this coin is junk and the auction as a whole is even more ridiculous. What's even more ridiculous is the asking price! With a starting price of $50,000, it's hard to imagine how rare this coin must be. To bad the auction ended already or I would have hit the "Buy It Now" button to buy that bad boy for a measly $150,000.
This guy claims that if you buy this coin, it will be the best investment that you will ever make!
My favorite line from the auction is "when this auction is over, it will be able to sell 2 to 3 times the amount i am selling for. you can hold on to it and keep as a collector or you can sell it for like at least 5 million."
REALLY!? So if I buy this coin, I can turn around and sell it for 2 to 3 times more than than I bought it for? I'M IN!
Check this auction out becuase I can't go on anymore! REALLY?
Clearly this coin is junk and the auction as a whole is even more ridiculous. What's even more ridiculous is the asking price! With a starting price of $50,000, it's hard to imagine how rare this coin must be. To bad the auction ended already or I would have hit the "Buy It Now" button to buy that bad boy for a measly $150,000.
This guy claims that if you buy this coin, it will be the best investment that you will ever make!
My favorite line from the auction is "when this auction is over, it will be able to sell 2 to 3 times the amount i am selling for. you can hold on to it and keep as a collector or you can sell it for like at least 5 million."
REALLY!? So if I buy this coin, I can turn around and sell it for 2 to 3 times more than than I bought it for? I'M IN!
Check this auction out becuase I can't go on anymore! REALLY?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)