Correcting/Updating My Tags

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

As per Joe's suggestion, I am starting a new thread.

I guess you can think of this thread as a continuation of my "Photographing my coins" thread.

Here's another progress report:

As I mentioned in the preceding thread, I am finished updating/correcting my tags for my Roman Imperial and Roman Provincial coins. I decided to re-visit my Greek (non-Magna Graecia) coin tags because I feel that I didn't examine them thoroughly enough on my first run-through. As of today, I'm up to Mysia.

Sure enough, I'm catching quite a few serious dealer mistakes. And many of my Greek coin tags contain no reference numbers at all. But the situation isn't as bad as the situation with my Roman Provincial tags.

Just today, I caught 2 more serious dealer errors, in addition to a whole bunch of minor dealer errors. A dealer (the same "clown") attributed an AE coin to Macedonia. It turns out that it is actually a Seleucid coin issued by Tryphon, probably minted in Antioch. It is the issue with a reverse of a Macedonian helmet ornamented with an ibex horn (cf. SNG Israel 1825). Of course, there was no reference number on the tag.

The same "clown" also mis-attributed an AE Macedonian kings coin. It is the issue with a reverse of Pan erecting a trophy. He attributed it to Demetrios Poliorketes. It is actually an issue of Antigonos Gonatas (cf. SNG Cop. 1206). He also thought that the  monogram below Pan was  . That's what he wrote on the tag. The really amazing thing here is that, to my knowledge, Demetrios never issued a coin with that reverse. This dealer basically attributed a coin to something that doesn't exist. Of course, there was no reference number on the tag.

These are the types of dealer errors that have been driving me crazy for the past 6-7 weeks.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here is another progress report:

Today was another disastrous day in terms of the number of serious/catastrophic dealer errors I caught on my tags.

Here is a sampling:

1) A dealer (the same "clown", as usual) attributed an AE Phoenicia coin as Marathos. It is actually Arados (BMC 104, from Wildwinds). After correcting the error and writing up a new tag from scratch, I discovered that I now 2 of the same coin. I must sell one.

2) The same "clown" attributed an AE Phoenicia, Arados coin as BMC 105. It is actually BMC 302 (from Wildwinds).

3) The same "clown" spelled Berenike (the II of Egypt) wrong on a Phoenicia, Marathos coin tag. He spelled it Bernice. I had to write up a new tag from scratch.

4) The same "clown" sold me an AE Phoenicia, Tyre coin (Melquart/club) with no reference number and no years of issue on the tag. I assumed it was Greek and put it in my Greek box many years ago. After researching it today, it turns out that it is actually a Roman Provincial coin, minted in the second century AD. I had to write up a new tag from scratch. I also had to put it in my Roman Provincial box, which involved moving dozens of coins.

5) The same "clown" sold me 2 small AR Phoenicia, Sidon coins (1/8 shekel and 1/16 shekel) with no reference numbers and no years of issue on the tags. The tags also contained very brief (ridiculously brief) descriptions of the coins. I had to research them and write up new tags from scratch.

6) Another dealer sold me an AE Phrygia, Grimenothyrae coin with no years of issue on the tag. I put it in my Greek box many years ago. After researching it today, it turns out that it is a Roman Provincial coin (BMC 4, from Wildwinds), minted in the second century AD. I had to write up a new tag from scratch. I also had to put it in my Roman Provincial box, which involved moving dozens of coins (again).

This is just a small sampling of what I had to deal with today. I can't tell you how many tags I had to re-write from scratch (a few dozen).

Despite all of this, I made a lot of headway today. I spent about 10-12 hours today just correcting/updating my tags. I am now up to my Greek Syria coins.

Meepzorp

[Arados]

Hi folks,

Here is another progress report:

Today was another disastrous day in terms of the number of serious/catastrophic dealer errors I caught on my tags.

Here is a sampling:

1) A dealer (the same "clown", as usual) attributed an AE Phoenicia coin as Marathos. It is actually Arados (BMC 104, from Wildwinds). After correcting the error and writing up a new tag from scratch, I discovered that I now 2 of the same coin. I must sell one.

I really sure that you want to sell one of these coins, they might have been minted on different dates. I could take a look for you if you post images here on your thread.

2) The same "clown" attributed an AE Phoenicia, Arados coin as BMC 105. It is actually BMC 302 (form Wildwinds).

I agree only a "clown" would mistake Zeus for Tyche.  

3) The same "clown" spelled Berenike (the II of Egypt) wrong on a Phoenicia, Marathos coin tag. He spelled it Bernice. I had to write up a new tag from scratch.

5) The same "clown" sold me 2 small AR Phoenicia, Sidon coins (1/8 shekel and 1/16 shekel) with no reference numbers and no years of issue on the tags. The tags also contained very brief (ridiculously brief) descriptions of the coins. I had to research them and write up new tags from scratch.

Glad to hear that your Phoenician coins 3 & 5 are now correctly attributed.

4) The same "clown" sold me an AE Phoenicia, Tyre coin (Melquart/club) with no reference number and no years of issue on the tag. I assumed it was Greek and put it in my Greek box many years ago. After researching it today, it turns out that it is actually a Roman Provincial coin, minted in the second century AD. I had to write up a new tag from scratch. I also had to put it in my Roman Provincial box, which involved moving dozens of coins.

Did coin 4 turn out to be a Provincial Phoenician or was it minted somewhere else ?

All the best
Arados

[Meepzorp]

4) The same "clown" sold me an AE Phoenicia, Tyre coin (Melquart/club) with no reference number and no years of issue on the tag. I assumed it was Greek and put it in my Greek box many years ago. After researching it today, it turns out that it is actually a Roman Provincial coin, minted in the second century AD. I had to write up a new tag from scratch. I also had to put it in my Roman Provincial box, which involved moving dozens of coins.

Did coin 4 turn out to be a Provincial Phoenician or was it minted somewhere else ?
Arados

Hi Arados,

The dealer described this coin correctly. He just neglected to write a reference number or years of issue on the tag. It is an AE Roman Provincial, Phoenicia, Tyre, coin. It has Melquart on the obverse. On the reverse, there is a club topped by a  monogram, date  (year 241=115/116 AD, time of Trajan) at left, Phoenician script "of Tyre" at right, all surrounded by the city name in Greek, all within an oak wreath. The reference is BMC 294, from Wildwinds.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

1) A dealer (the same "clown", as usual) attributed an AE Phoenicia coin as Marathos. It is actually Arados (BMC 104, from Wildwinds). After correcting the error and writing up a new tag from scratch, I discovered that I now 2 of the same coin. I must sell one.

...really sure that you want to sell one of these coins, they might have been minted on different dates. I could take a look for you if you post images here on your thread.
Arados

Hi Arados,

Yes, I am sure that I want to sell one.

I don't care if they were minted on different dates. I am not that into Greek Phoenician coins that I'd want 2 of the same coin just because they have different dates. The one I am looking to sell is dated (year 147). The references are BMC 104ff and Sear 6001. The one I am keeping is not dated, but it is in better condition.

I can't post photos here because I haven't started taking my photos yet. And my niece still hasn't given me her old iPhone yet.

Meepzorp

[Joe Sermarini]

List on the Members' auction, or send it to Forum on consignment, but no selling here on the boards (and just saying you are selling is selling). 

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here's another progress report:

Today, I finished grinding through all of my Greek Seleukia coins. I have about 20 of them. There were no serious errors on my tags. But I still had to re-write a few, mainly because they were incomplete.

I started correcting/updating my Greek Syria (non-Seleukia) coin tags. And, immediately, I ran into problems. With regard to my first 2 Syria (S+P), Antioch coins, it turns out that they wee in the wrong boxes. Again, the dealer (the same "clown") didn't bother to write the years of issue on the tags. So, naturally, I thought that they were Greek coins when I purchased them many years ago. After thoroughly researching them today, I discovered that both of them are actually Roman Provincial coins. One was minted in 54 BC (RPC 4212, from Wildwinds). The other was issued in 128 AD, during the reign of Hadrian (BMC 105, from Wildwinds).

This has happened to me several times now. Here is the scenario: I bought a coin many years ago. The dealer didn't write the years of issue on the tag. I thought it was a Greek coin (mainly because it didn't have a portrait of a Roman emperor on it), so I put it in my Greek box. Many years later (now), I discover that it is actually a Roman Provincial coin.

There is a lesson to be learned here for new collectors to the hobby: Don't assume that a coin is Greek just because it doesn't have a portrait of a Roman emperor on it.

Meepzorp

[Carausius]

There is a lesson to be learned here for new collectors to the hobby: Don't assume that a coin is Greek just because it doesn't have a portrait of a Roman emperor on it.

The lesson for new collectors is even broader: never assume that a dealer's tag is correct.  Dealer's are human; they make mistakes; they have bad days; they may lack expertise in some areas.  Always research the coin to confirm the information provided and to catch possible errors.  The research is at least half the fun of collecting, in my opinion.

[Jochen]

One was minted in 54 BC

I always was thinking that Provincial Coins were dated not before Augustus. 

Best regards

[Andrew McCabe]

One was minted in 54 BC

I always was thinking that Provincial Coins were dated not before Augustus. 

Best regards

The first Roman Provincial coin dates from 273 BC. Of this type, identical to the Roman type but with COZANO rather than ROMANO inscription
http://www.acsearch.info/search.html?id=371771

Technically this was "Roman Colonial" since Cosa was a Colony and not a Province. But from the acquisition of Sicily, as a proper Province, in the mid third century BC, Roman Provincial coins as well as Roman Colonial coins (which have been subsumed under the Roman Provincial category in numismatics) were minted continuously in one or other Roman colony, often with the name of Roman magistrates on the coins. Most of the scope of Roman Provincial Coins volume 1 pre-dates Augustus. At some point, someone will have to issue a Roman Provincial Coins volume 0 to document all the provincial and colonial issues from 273 BC to 49 BC.

[Meepzorp]

One was minted in 54 BC

I always was thinking that Provincial Coins were dated not before Augustus. 

Best regards

Hi Jochen,

I agree. For many years, I thought that was the case also.

But this particular coin is dated 54 BC, and it is in RPC. I was surprised myself to see it listed in Wildwinds with an RPC number.

As usual, Andrew, in his infinite wisdom, clarified things.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here is another progress report:

Today, it happened again. I have a Syria (S&P), Apameia AE coin that, for many years, I thought was a Greek coin. Today, I discovered that it is actually a Roman Provincial coin (RPC 4364, from Wildwinds). The dealer (the same "clown") made 2 serious errors on the tag. First, he confused Tyche with Nike. I don't know how, but he did. He wrote on the tag that the obverse bust is Nike when it is actually Tyche. Second, as usual, he neglected to write both a reference number and the years of issue on the tag. So, when I bought this coin many years ago, I thought it was a Greek coin, and I put it in my Greek box.

The date is very clear on my example. It was minted in Seleucid year 326=14/15 AD, during the reign of Tiberius. I got the date information from RPC 4369 in Wildwinds, which is a different coin. But the date on my coin (RPC 4364) is identical to the date on the RPC 4369 Wildwinds example.

I had to write up a new tag from scratch. And again, I had to put it in my Roman Provincial box, which requires me to move dozens of coins. It is a very tedious and time-consuming process.

I finally finished grinding through all of my Greek Syria (both Seleucid and non-Seleucid) coins. Today, I started sorting through my Thessaly coins.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

The research is at least half the fun of collecting, in my opinion.

Hi Cara,

I agree. It is like going on a "treasure hunt". But, in this case, the "treasure" you are seeking is knowledge.

Meepzorp

[SC]

I'd put research down as 90% of the fun.  But perhaps that's just me.

Then 9.9% for the hunt and 0.1% for spending the money 

Shawn

[areich]

If you have the money to spend then spending money is fun. 

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here's another progress report:

I had another setback. On Tuesday night, we had severe storms here. We lost power for a few hours (about 3-4 hours). When the power came back on, all of of our Verizon Fios-related services were dead. We had no TV, phone, or internet for about 36 hours. A repair technician finally came to my home today and fixed it. Apparently, when the power went out and/or when it came back on again, we must have had a severe power surge. And it blew out just about everything in our Verizon box (the main box) in the cellar. The main module was fried, the battery (which was dead anyway) was fried, etc. The repair tech had to replace the main module. Our Verizon box is so old (and obsolete) that the new main module didn't fit. He had to install a used one from another customer's home. The same was true for the battery. He had to install a used battery from another customer's home because the new ones don't fit in our box. Then, he had to install new grounding cables because the codes changed. He was here almost 2 hours. The only other option would have been to replace the entire box, which probably would have taken another 2 more hours. He was very knowledgeable, and he did a great job.

The power surge must have been severe. It also fried a timer in our living room.

Fortunately, our 3 thru-the-wall air conditioners (which were running when we lost power) have surge suppressors.

So, I had no internet access for about 36 hours. Consequently, I couldn't get any coins "processed". I've been using Wildwinds, acsearch, and other sites to research my coins. With no internet access, I couldn't make any progress.

It is just setback after setback after setback. I've been trying to take photos of my coins for about 2 years now (since circa Summer of 2013). With all of these setbacks, I'm now 2 years behind schedule. Hopefully, I can start soon.

Today, after my internet access was restored, I made some progress. I finished "processing" my Greek Thessaly coins, and I'm now up to my Greek Thrace coins.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here's another progress report:

The same dealer (the same "clown") did it again. I have an AE Thrace, Mesembria coin with Athena on the reverse (SNG BM Black Sea 284-287). He made 2 stupid mistakes on the tag. First, he spelled Mesembria wrong. He spelled it "Messembria". Second, in describing the reverse on the tag, he wrote that Athena is hurling a thunderbolt. She is actually holding a spear and shield, as usual. Since when is Athena hurling a thunderbolt? Zeus usually does that. Athena is almost always holding a spear. I can't believe he did that. Of course, I had to re-write a new tag from scratch.

I can't tell you how many tags I had to re-write from scratch in the past 2 days. There were so many serious errors on the tags, from various, different dealers. It is mind-boggling.

Despite all of the distractions I've had in the past few days, I somehow managed to get through all of my Greek Thrace coins. I am now up to Troas. I'm almost done sorting thorough my Greek (non-Magna Graecia) coins. I have a few left.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

In my previous post, I mentioned "distractions".

One of those distractions is that, on Friday, I started my car and ran it for a while. As many of you know, I have a 1988 Ford Mustang GT hatchback, which I am the original owner of. But I was able to to drive it for only 2 years because of my illness, which began in 1990. In 1992, my father cancelled the insurance, turned in the plates, and put the car away in storage. That's the last time it was on the road. It's been sitting in storage ever since. When my father was alive, he used to start it a few times a year (to get the oil circulating, etc.). Since he died 5 years ago, that responsibility has now fallen onto me.

I started it only once since last Fall, and I hadn't started it in about 2 months. So, I decided that it was time. Besides, it gives me great enjoyment. And it brings back memories of my youth, when I was in college ans graduate school.

The battery is almost dead, and it is barely holding the charge from my battery charger. But, after charging, the engine fired right up. Those Ford 5.0 liter V8 engines are strong. They can take a pounding.

I ran it for a while. I moved it back and forth a few times. It is getting more and more difficult to get the transmission into reverse. It probably just needs lubrication. I suspect the problem has something to do with the "lock out feature" that Ford put in those 5-speed manual transmissions, so that someone doesn't accidentally put the car in reverse doing 80 MPH on the highway. You must first put the transmission in 2nd gear or 4th gear. Then, you can put it in reverse. That's the "lock out feature". On those transmissions, reverse gear is directly below 5th gear. The hardest shift on that car is downshifting from 5th gear to 4th gear. That transmission is very tight, with short throws. If you push the stick too far, you'll catch second gear. And you don't want to let the clutch out in second gear doing 65-80 MPH. If you don't push the stick far enough, you'll catch reverse gear. It is a matter of millimeters. Believe it or not, it's not an easy shift. When I was younger, I remember having trouble trying to catch 4th gear in a downshift out of overdrive (5th gear). Anyway, I think that's what the problem is now. That piece (the "lock out feature") probably just needs to be lubricated.

Aside from that, I had no problems. Once it was warmed up, the engine ran nice and smooth. It has a nice, deep, throaty exhaust system, right from the factory. You hear that "5 liter rumble".

I pumped the brakes several times. I opened the windows. I screwed in the antenna and turned on the stereo. I opened the vents and turned up the blower speed. The air conditioning system lost all of its Freon many years ago, so that doesn't work. And the (original factory) tires are a little flat.

Anyway, that consumed much of my day on Friday. I had some fun!

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here's another progress report:

I had another "distraction" this past week. I went to see Rush perform their 40th Anniversary Tour live. Because of my illness, I don't go out much. But, whenever Rush is on tour (usually once every 3-4 years or so), I always try to make it my business to see them live. As usual, they put on a great show. Of course, that killed a whole day for me, and then some.

And, on top of that, I had another setback this past week. My mother developed a medical issue. Her back started bothering her. It is probably sciatica, which she has had in the past. I am helping her as much as I can, but I am disabled too. Fortunately, my sister has stepped up and is helping. And luckily, since my sister is a teacher, she is now done with work for the entire Summer - just in time to help my mother (this week is her first week off).

But my mother's medical issue is creating all kinds of problems for me, especially in terms of updating, correcting, and re-writing my coin tags. Since I don't have a desk in my den (which used to be my sister's bedroom), for the past 17 years, I've been using my kitchen table to "process" my coins and write up my tags. For the past 25 years, my mother has been eating dinner at my sister's house, which frees up the kitchen table for me. I don't eat dinner with them. I eat by myself, mainly because I eat crazy hours. But since my mother developed her medical issue, they have all been eating dinner here. Today, in addition to my sister's family, my aunt also came, and one of my cousins stopped by too. We had a "full house". The result of all of this is that I was unable to use my kitchen table for a few hours. I had to wait a few hours for the table to be free. Consequently, I was able to "process" only a few coins today.

I don't know how long this situation is going to last. The last time my mother had sciatica, it lasted for over a year. I hope that isn't the case now. This is certainly going to significantly slow down my coin processing. If I can't use my kitchen table for several hours a day, every day, that is going to put a substantial dent in the number of coins I can "process". And I'm already about 2 years behind schedule the way it is. I was supposed to start taking my coin photos in the Summer of 2013. I'm still trying to get this project off the ground.

It's just one setback after another.

(Continued in next post...)

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

In spite of all these distractions and setbacks, I was somehow able to finally finish grinding through my Greek (non-Magna Graecia) coins, all 4 boxes of them. I just finished tonight.

So, as of now, I am done "processing" my Roman Imperial, Roman Provincial, and Greek (non-Magna Graecia) coins.

I still have to "process" my Medieval, Magna Graecia, and Roman Republic coins.

And I started about 2 months ago. As of now, I probably have about 300 hours of work invested in this. I must have "processed" about 1,000-1,500 coins in the past 2 months. And I'm nowhere near done yet.

I can't start taking my photos until my tags are straightened out. I had no idea they were such a mess, especially my older ones from my early years of collecting.

Meepzorp

[Joe Sermarini]

Medieval might be the hardest.

[Meepzorp]

Medieval might be the hardest.

Hi Joe,

You must be psychic. Medieval is what I chose next.

With regard to my Medieval coins, it is "bad news, good news".

Of course, the bad news is that there is such little information online. Obviously, sites like Wildwinds (which I've been relying very heavily on) are useless for Medieval coins. And it is much more difficult to read and decipher inscriptions on Medieval coins.

But there is some good news with regard to my Medieval coins. First, I'm not as picky and meticulous with the tags, particularly my non-Italian Medieval coins. I don't care if I don't have the full inscriptions written on the tags. Second, my Mediaval coins were purchased form different dealers. The same 1 or 2 "clowns" (dealers) were responsible for the overwhelming majority of the errors on my Roman/Greek coin tags. Very few of my Medieval coins were purchased from those 2 dealers. My Medieval coins were purchased primarily from dealers who rarely make mistakes on their tags. So, there should be far fewer Medieval tags with serious errors, which means less tags I must re-write from scratch.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here is another progress report:

I seem to be making good progress with my Medieval coin tags. I breezed through countries A-G (France, Germany, etc.). I'm getting a little bogged down now because I'm doing my Medieval Italy coins, and I'm more meticulous and picky with those tags.

Yesterday, I "processed" 3 Netherlands Jetons, dated 1588, 1603, and 1605. For many years, I really didn't know what the hell they were. I had purchased them from a dealer in Italy/San Marino about 10-15 years ago. For all these years, I had very little information on the tags. I wasn't even sure where they were minted or who had issued them. I had filed them under Holland. I took an educated guess at that time. I was close. After researching them online for well over 3 hours yesterday, it turns out that they are all Netherlands, Brabant, Antwerp Jetons issued by the king of Spain. And 2 of them contain references to the siege of the city of Ostend by Ambrogio Spinola. On one Jeton, on the obverse, there is an eagle standing on 2 altars, one burning. On the reverse, there is a city in ruins, a construction scene, canals, a bridge, etc. On the other Jeton, on the reverse, there is a lobster (Ambrogio Spinola) on a thorny bush, with 2 crowns (the king and queen of Spain) above. Offhand, I think the third Jeton was referenced (by the dealer) as van Loon 128.

These Jetons have a fascinating history. For all these years, I knew almost nothing about them. I'm learning a lot. It's like I'm buying these coins/Jetons all over again.

Of course, I had to re-write all 3 tags from scratch. And I had to re-file them under Netherlands (instead of Holland).

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Today, I started "processing" my Medieval Italian coins. As of right now, I'm up to my Italy, Carmagnola coins.

Fortunately, for most of my Medieval Italian coins, the only thing missing form the tags are the inscriptions. So, the tags aren't a "total loss". It is just a matter of amending them.

Meepzorp

[Meepzorp]

Hi folks,

Here's another progress report:

I got quite a bit accomplished today. I probably "processed" about 50 coins or so. I think that's the most I ever did in one day. I did all of my Casale and Genoa coins. And I have  a lot of them. My MIR (Varesi) Liguria/Piemonte volume came in handy today.

I am now up to Italy, Livorno.

Meepzorp