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 Replies: 19 / Views: 3,114 |
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Valued Member
United States
420 Posts |
What is an "Average Collector"
What is an "Expert Collector" and how does one know when they are an "Expert?"
What is YOUR opinion? Rich M. - Collector since 2008
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Moderator
 Australia
16829 Posts |
They're both terms I wouldn't use, at least not without qualifiers.
"Average" is a mathematical term, which to me implies some kind of objective, measurable quantity. "Measuring" something as fuzzily defined as "coin collecting" is impossible. You could, for example, do a poll asking how many coins people have in their collections, and find out what the average number is. But having an average number of coins wouldn't necessarily make you an "average collector".
I would define an "expert" as someone who knows enough about a particular subject matter to be able to answer pretty much any question on the subject. I'm not sure it's humanly possible to become an expert in "coin collecting" as a whole, though it's certainly possible to be an expert in a particular narrow field of collecting, such as VAMs, or Australian predecimal coins, or the coinage of ancient Ephesus.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3540 Posts |
True "expert" status is accurate when persons unknown to numismatis recognize the party as an expert.
Every time you hear or see somebody calling themselves an "expert", turn around and RUN!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
883 Posts |
Ex = a has been
xpert = Drip under pressure
...or something like that
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Valued Member
United States
318 Posts |
I am not familiar with either of those terms, but if I had to give a definition (which I am being forced into right now - my arm is being twisted, I can feel it), I would describe the 2 as follows:
Average collector: A collector that spends a consistent average amount of money on coins of his focus. He is still learning all the particulars about certain coins/grading/varieties, etc. He is missing lots of coins in this collection OR he is not interested in completing a certain album, but just to upgrade what he already has. STILL in the LEARNING PHASE and often has questions of those more knowledgeable.
Expert collector: A collector that is an expert in his field of coin(s) focus and his purchases tend to be on the higher priced items. He was at some earlier point an "average collector" UNTIL he reached a plateau of his collection and then had to spend more money on the missing few and can answer ANY question asked of him concerning his field of coins/collection/grading/varieties. etc. The MASTER of ALL KNOWLEDGE, as it pertains to his collection. He will share his knowledge freely because he wants to help the "average collector" and lessors.
That's my story and I am sticking to it.
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
expert = someone 500 miles from home.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Tuff question since Average is normally considered, in everyday types of usage, something or someone in the middle. This means you would have to find the smallest types of coin collectors and then the biggest ones and average them out. Now this would only be an average of coin collectors by size. OR you could take all the coin collectors that are old and all the ones that are young and total them all up, divide by the number of collectors and POOF, you have an average aged coin collector. Next you have to do this by height, hair quantiies, bank accounts, amount of wives or husbands, quantities of toes and many other important featuers. Finally and eventually you would have the average coin collector. Now all you need is an example and explanation of an expert. Me for example, just not in coinage. In summation to your question, I really have no idea.  Edited by just carl
02/01/2012 09:00 am
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Moderator
United States
14463 Posts |
I am the best collector at my house.  I just happen to be the only collector at my house.  Overall, I guess I am an average collector. I generally collect circulated coins, with some commemorative and proof coins. I don't collect varieties. |
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Valued Member
United States
172 Posts |
My father was an expert...he would spend hours and hours and hours, reading, looking and pricing his coins....he didn't talk much , but you could tell he had a passion for what he did and he knew what he was doing...
He knew how to negotiate also...he got some killer deals from dealers who didn't really know what they had...
Add all those things up, and of course the 60+ years he spent collecting coins, I think that qualifies him.
Me? I am barely a beginner! But I DID pick up a LITTLE knowlege...and some of the passion!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3283 Posts |
I think it depends largely on the sample group.
At work I'm the coin expert.
Here I'm not even average.
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Pillar of the Community
3352 Posts |
I think I'm an "Intermediate" => I'm beyond "Beginner", but not yet an "Expert"  Edited by stevex6
02/01/2012 8:38 pm
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Valued Member
United States
318 Posts |
There are lots of things I would call you, Stevex6.......... but "intermediate" is not one of them.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
595 Posts |
They used to say that an expert was somebody who learned more and more about less and less until he knew everything about nothing.
Jan
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2605 Posts |
I am not an average collector, I'a a mean one!
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Valued Member
United States
318 Posts |
Svslav....... you are just a sweet "mean" collector. I know from experience. |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10284 Posts |
I think it would be better to say I specialize in a certain type of coin and in that coin type, I am probably above average in both knowledge of that series and probably have an advanced collection when it comes to the condition of the coins in my specialty than the next guy. Somebody else can call me an expert and I would be flattered but I think there is a lot more I don't know that I do. I don't think I am an expert at anything. I'm better with some things than I am with others, simply because those things appeal to me and I find them more interesting. As far as all the other types of coins I collect, I would guess that I am probably your average obsessive compulsive collector. When I hear that saying ... "He was a legend in his own mind." I confess, I can relate to that. So I guess if I am novice, average or expert, it was on my own bell curve I placed myself. I'd prefer to hope that all my work and studies have placed me above average as it is not egotistic to aspire to be really good at something you enjoy. I can't believe I posted this ...  |
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Replies: 19 / Views: 3,114 |
Posted 01/31/2012 6:54 pm
