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 Replies: 70 / Views: 7,917 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
I have found that in my years as a collector that many who are unfamiliar with the hobby have had some rather silly views of coins and the hobby. Now, I don't mean to be mocking those who are not versed in this little esoteric sphere of ours, but it does still bring a smile to my face when I think of the times when I have had people ask me things such as "so is Spain still on the peso," or have told me that "if you clean your coins, they will then be in mint condition again."
I think that ultimately we all know that we once were far more naive regarding numismatics at one point too. So some of these stories just show how much we have learned as well as just how much we wish to teach others about this fascinating area.
So can you guys think of any funny/ cute/ silly things that non-collectors have have said about coins or about the hobby in general? Edited by Archraz
02/04/2010 8:25 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4846 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
585 Posts |
My female boss just 2 days ago: "Is that gold?
Why don't you use it in the jewelry?"  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
If you want to have some fun and have the chance of sitting around with a group of people, ask what is on any coin. Front, back, makes no difference. Same with any bill. You'll almost always get some silly answers and seldom the right ones.
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3499 Posts |
Quote:
You'll almost always get some silly answers and seldom the right ones Very true! Ages ago when I was in highschool I remember an acquaintance of mine insisting that Eisenhower was on the dime and that Thomas Edison was on the quarter. haha |
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Pillar of the Community
Philippines
1156 Posts |
my son's high-school geometry quiz - How many sides does a coin have?
teacher's answer - three!
my son didnt agree with that, the teach obviously was not a coin collector and was thinking only of the "round" coin
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2130 Posts |
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Rest in Peace
United States
1729 Posts |
Nic, a coin is actually a cylinder - a very flat one, to be sure, but still a three-sided cylinder.
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
9377 Posts |
Pls, I think what Nic is trying to say, is that not all coins have 3 sides,some have more... .jpg) Steve 
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Moderator
 Australia
16809 Posts |
The old guys in my coin club, the Queensland Numismatic Society, tell me that, way back before I joined, they held a dinner in a function centre. The centre staff had thoughtfully put signboards around the building, telling everyone which room the "Queensland Pneumatic Society" dinner was being held.
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
3499 Posts |
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"Queensland Pneumatic Society" hahaha. Nice, Sap! Just a few weeks ago I overheard a couple of coworkers talking about coins. They obviously were not collectors since I heard one of them say "I guess the mint in Washington employs a lot of people since each penny is hand-engraved." These are pretty funny. keep 'em coming guys! |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
610 Posts |
My Step-daughter said"How much is it worth.A couple of cents?" My Son-in law said"You paid that much?That's crazy" My Wife keeps asking "Are we rich yet?"  (More to follow from the rest of the family and friends) |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
collectall- yes, it does seem that many just refuse to believe that a coin can be worth so much over face value. I remember when I was in high school I once received a very nice Mercury dime as part of my change. An acquaintance of mine saw me looking at it and asked why it could possibly interest me. I replied "it is an old, unusual coin. Plus, it is certainly worth more than 10 cents." His response was "how can a coin be worth more than it says on it? You can't walk into a grocery store and say 'this coin is worth a lot of money' and pay for food that way." I then looked at him as though he was crazy and said "well, of course not. The value is the value to collectors." His response was "well, you can only get more for it than 10 cents if you take it to a mint or something." Some people just don't get numismatics, and others don't get it in addition to being quite ignorant of the concepts of collecting and history. It does make you wonder if the more educated one is, the easier s/he is understand such abstract concepts that are inextricably tied to numismatics. |
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Valued Member
United States
436 Posts |
My brother-in-law... "There is no way a penny could be worth a hundred dollars!" ALSO "Thats a quarter, it says so on the back...it's worth 25 cents! Why on god's green did you send it to some one to tell you it's pretty?" he was looking at a 1901S Barber quarter (AU-50) graded by NGC... that belongs to my Grandfather-in-law |
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New Member
United States
2 Posts |
My personal favorite of all time...
"Who on God's green earth would pay more than face value for any coin?" -EX wife... : )
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Pillar of the Community
United States
3499 Posts |
dmasters01 & coretj- Very funny stories! But how would the person in each of your stories have reacted to, say, an 18th-century Russian coin or an Ancient Roman coin? There would be no way to pay face for them.
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Replies: 70 / Views: 7,917 |
Posted 02/05/2010 06:15 am
