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 Replies: 61 / Views: 7,423 |
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New Member
United States
4 Posts |
I was wondering if any of the people I regularly get together for coffee, are secret coin collectors. So, without broaching the subject, I started leaving tips or paying for coffee with half dollars. No reaction from anyone, not from friends and not from the wait staff. I guess they just think I'm crazy.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
8938 Posts |
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I am so glad that I am not the only numismatist with Autism/Aspergers Syndrome (I was diagnosed as an Aspie in 1999, but in 2009 I was rediagnosed with high functioning autism as my IQ was apparently too high). I have Aspergers too! Though the re-diagnosed me with high functioning autism as well because I sit at a 137 IQ, though my friends would call that an testing error  . To quote my best friend, I'm the most intelligent moron he's ever met! |
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Pillar of the Community
4628 Posts |
I hear you totally Grape Collects (My IQ is 128 WAIS and 141 Binet) yet I was 10 when I learnt to tie my shoes and ride a bike at 13. I also have mild dyslexia and poor co ordination.
Another person (Apologies I forgot your name as you are on Page 2 and this is Page 3 so can't go back) - Totally normal to be obsessed with coins before 70. I got into them seriously at the age of 14 years and 10 months, when I spent 3 months of allowances getting all the Threepences of New Zealand (Cost about $35 then in 1991), and receiving a 1984 Proof set of NZ and voucher from the coin shop for my 15th birthday. At the age of 17, I remember telling everyone in my High School history class about my 1580 Sixpence when we were studying the Tudor era.
The teens is a perfect time to collect, although lonely as most of my peers were into getting drunk, hanging around at parties, smoking marijuana and being naughty with loose women.
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Pillar of the Community
 5464 Posts |
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested. Wait,.....I'll be right back. My probation officer is at the door.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7276 Posts |
You all want to talk about nuts? This what my typical set-up looks like for an astro imaging session. The computer controls the mount, the cameras (there are 2 cameras, one to take pictures and another to keep a star locked on for the hours of images needed), the focuser and the cooler on the camera to keep the temperature at -10C.  The scope is 4 feet long and weighs about 35lbs. The mount weighs over 100 lB. This is what a typical image comes out. But this is after I took over 100 images of 3 minutes, plus dark frames, bias and flats. All the gigs of data are processed and I get 1 picture. On a good week, I'll take pictures over 3 or more nights.  The moon is easy, this was only 3600 pictures and a mosaic of 6 runs of images.  Faint galaxies in different areas of the sky are harder and you have to create 2 images and then combine then in a mosaic.  And don't get me started on false color images with multiple filters. And all the processing steps needed.  In the scheme of things collecting coins is relatively sane. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8938 Posts |
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I got into them seriously at the age of 14 years and 10 months I got into at age 15, so we're pretty similar there! Quote:
I was 10 when I learnt to tie my shoes and ride a bike at 13 Again, similar for me. I learned at to tie my shoes at around 10 and bike at 15. Quote:
The teens is a perfect time to collect, although lonely as most of my peers were into getting drunk, hanging around at parties, smoking marijuana and being naughty with loose women. A lot of my peers do so as well, and while I will occasionally attend parties, my attendance pales in comparison to theirs. Quote:
I also have mild dyslexia and poor co ordination. I've never been diagnosed with any form of dyslexia but sometimes I have issues with speaking and writing. I'll either start writing half way through a word (for example I'd write because as ause then have to go back and write in bec because I forgot it) or I'll swap the ends and beginnings of words (for example I might write stupid as pidstu). When speaking much the same thing can happen where I'll start a word half way though or swap the beginning and end, it can be quite awkward in social situations. That being said my reading comprehension and words per minute are significantly above average. In an average size hardback novel I average around 200-220 pages per hour, which is incredibly high. |
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Pillar of the Community
5464 Posts |
hfjacinto- Nice!!  ! Do you have any good pictures of Saturn? If the ISS was going overhead, could you acquire it, track it and take pictures of it? Edited by USSID18
05/18/2020 5:09 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7276 Posts |
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hfjacinto- Nice!! Thank you.  Quote:
Do you have any good pictures of Saturn? I have an "ok" picture of Saturn.  I actually have most of the planets.  Quote:
If the ISS was going overhead, could you acquire it, track it and take pictures of it? The ISS as its close (compared to planets/stars, etc) moves very fast. It will cover the full sky in about 2 minutes. While I in theory could attempt to track it the mount is designed for slow movements (basically following the path of the stars), so while the mount can slew that fast its not a smart move moving about 150lbs that fast. Also the mount can only travel to 10* over direct overhead, so in the middle of an imaging session it has to flip sides (the Meridian), so I would only be able to capture half the sky. BUT that's not what people do when they image the ISS. What they do is use a sky tracker and the sky tracker will say on (for example) 5/18/2020 at 20:00 the ISS will be at: RA = 16 h 41.7 min DEC = 36 d 28 min So you enter these coordinates and press slew. At 19:59 to 20:01 you start taking videos and hopefully if you are aligned properly and your GPS coordinates are correct you will wind you with 10 images of the ISS for the 1 second it was in the frame. See more nuts than coin collecting. |
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Pillar of the Community
5464 Posts |
Oh yes, yep I get it. The ISS moves much to fast. We caught it late one night going overhead. We spotted it at zenith just as it came out of the earth shadow. We saw it for maybe 20 seconds. You can really tell it's hauling ass!
Thanks for the picture of Saturn.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1081 Posts |
It's hard to explain that is for sure. I recently bought an 1876 Newfoundland 20 cent in EF40, possibly 45 or maybe even AU-50 condition (I'll let you know when it arrives) for $300 US. As I type that it sounds nuts. It really does. But it's beautiful and I wanted it.... And now the only 20 cent key date I'm missing is 1880. That was worth it - right? Right?
Good to be able to get that off my chest among people who might actually understand....
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
Space pictures were neat! Quote:
I actually have most of the planets. Getting one of Earth will be tough.  |
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Pillar of the Community
4628 Posts |
Grape collects - great minds think alike and the joy of Aspergers/HFA/HFS (Whatever you may wish to call it) is you gain a singular interest and have to research the data behind the coins you buy - its amazing how many nights I drift off to sleep thinking about some coin I have or have bought online and waiting for it to arrive.
Hfjacinto - The hobby is awesome and you have some amazing shots - I can see coins are not the only interest that consumes your time and money. I see nothing crazy there - just a very noble and exciting hobby.
I understand the fun of calling us nuts because we collect inanimate objects (Mostly coins!) but I think us collectors are more good for this earth than the war mongering, pleasure seeking rabble that seem to dominate it.
Collecting something implies interests outside of basic needs and wants and an inquiring mind - a mind that is searching for answers and enlightment, normal human curiosity and it is beautiful.
Have to go as a big parcel of halfcrowns arrived and the coins need processing into the growing collection!
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Valued Member
United States
171 Posts |
Here's a photo I took of "my" telescope haha.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7276 Posts |
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Here's a photo I took of "my" telescope haha. You win the internet  I would love a sky like that! Best I ever saw was at 9000 feet on Mauna Kea. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7941 Posts |
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As I type that it sounds nuts. It really does. But it's beautiful and I wanted it.... That was worth it - right? Right? I was gonna joke that I hope that's not contagious, but I'm pretty sure I have it already anyhow... Exactly the kind of sentiment that belongs on this thread. Who HASN'T felt that about a coin? |
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Replies: 61 / Views: 7,423 |
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Posted 05/18/2020 1:28 pm
