I am sorry I missed this year's poll as well. I've been on a hiatus from
ancient coins for awhile, and am easing back into them. I don't read everything here, and I might have missed this poll even if I
had been fully active. Having said that, I certainly would have voted for the two who did win. Jochen not only provides excellent
help, information, and
attribution references, but also poses interesting questions which spark
good discussion. And
Pat is always the educator. She provides interesting insight in particular to the art of the coinage, and her excellent comparisons to statuary as well as her artistic analysis absolutely broaden and excite my interest in
ancient coins. I think
Pat alone has
had the most influence in my change to collecting coins not just for their
history, but also their artistic value (I'm
still maintaining my
countermark focus however). All this is in addition to her numismatic and historical knowledge.
Which leads me to this:
Forum is the most interesting online community I belong to. 1000 active
members isn't a huge number, but the
quality of the contributions here is absolutely unmatched. I think it represents everything right about web communities. Scholarly discussions and shared knowledge with the goal of advancing our understanding not only of
numismatics, but also
history and the historical context of coins with a
bit of semiotics thrown in, and all in a collegial atmosphere. A few years ago I didn't know a
follis from a
globus cruciger, but I felt welcome here in my ignorance. It's astounding to me that the people with the immense knowledge they have would spend the time and patience to teach a total novice. It's that kind of attitude that makes this a great
forum, and even more: an astoundingly rich hobby. So congratulations to the deserving winners of the poll, and thanks to everyone else for making this the excellent
forum that it is. Without the great people here there wouldn't be awards and appreciation to bestow on Jochen and
Pat. Additional thanks to Joe for sponsoring
Forum and maintaining it's
quality which can be a difficult challenge on it's own.
Doug