The referees blog

30 posts

» Quick access to the last post

Hello,
Feel free to share your experience, questions, funny stories ...

Let's see a funny request for an English coin (a little bit of traduction has been deemed necessary)


Just one question: If I modify a coin before approval, the coin addition to the catalog is it counting for me or for the requester ? I usually modify the request before approval, but I might do the countrary.
Referee of south atlantic islands
Coin additions are being counted for the one that clicks on "Add coin to the catalogue" link. If you modify it as a referee, whether you will modify it before or after, that will count towards coins edited counter.

I remeber this one. Moneta everywhere, I translated several such requests already, if you ever needed help with Russian for these requests, just say a word. B)
Catalogue administrator
For the stories, I believe I have seen pretty lot already:

Different languages - German, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian ones.

Requests like:
  • Please help with identification! - with no photos.
  • Please validate! I want to add it to my collection and swap it. - no photos or description
  • Move this French token to France, because it was minted there!

People complaining why their own particular request was not validated, while we have 800 requests backlog.

Sometimes people demand something even, sometimes they thank you ad so on.

Even found one for tokens (there were 10 people who could open that one) which said: Hi Jarek! :D

But usually, it is just plain link, or "personal observation". I must admit, that I usually respond angrily to "personal observation" with no pictures.
Catalogue administrator
Quote: "Jarcek"
​But usually, it is just plain link, or "personal observation". I must admit, that I usually respond angrily to "personal observation" with no pictures.
​There is no reason for that. Why you can't consider that a user might add relevant info without pictures? I see more reasons for missing pictures like a bad/no camera or simply the user doesn't have the coin but he is looking at a photo/sketch of the coin and it's able to make certain observations like the text of the legend or something else. I said this before and I will say it every time it's needed, a referee that reject additions to catalog just because the lack of pictures it's a shame for his role. Yes, we all like to see the coin pages with pictures but if this it's not possible I am glad to see at least the description of a coin.
Quote: "Andy289"
Quote: "Jarcek"
​​But usually, it is just plain link, or "personal observation". I must admit, that I usually respond angrily to "personal observation" with no pictures.
​​
​​There is no reason for that. Why you can't consider that a user might add relevant info without pictures? I see more reasons for missing pictures like a bad/no camera or simply the user doesn't have the coin but he is looking at a photo/sketch of the coin and it's able to make certain observations like the text of the legend or something else. I said this before and I will say it every time it's needed, a referee that reject additions to catalog just because the lack of pictures it's a shame for his role. Yes, we all like to see the coin pages with pictures but if this it's not possible I am glad to see at least the description of a coin.
;) I am sending them back for modification, with a note that if pictures are not possible, they can just resubmit.
Catalogue administrator
In my opinion it's just loss of time when you can approve other requests and possible of good data. I think a high percentage of users will add the pictures if it's possible when a new page is created and if not why should you push them to do something they don't want when they already gave you something good? This may lead to the loss of data if the user is upset enough for such a policy and won't submit the page again with pictures. Since we deal with different people it would be a gain for all of us any good content approved. Sorry if I am harsh and let me know if my logic is broken.
I had no idea resubmission was a thing, to be honest - maybe I should try?

I have two submission requests in "modification requested" status right now.
One of them was an uncommon type where my example was in very bad condition, so I didn't want to use it as a photo, and I couldn't find another one anywhere else for a while. A slabbed example had since been sold on Heritage, but I wasn't sure how to download and/or crop the photos (and in a full-slab photo, the coin would have been barely visible - it's tiny).
The other was a more common but ancient type, where the referee decided my photo wasn't good enough, so I checked all the 20-odd websites allowed by Numista (well, all except the national banks, IIRC), and couldn't find any other example of that specific type on any of them; when I told that to the referee, they asked me to look at another website, which I was pretty sure was not in the list, but I looked anyway and couldn't find an example of that type there either.

What I do not have, however, is a successful submission request :D (Though maybe I'll get luckier if I decide to make a submission request for my Bohemian 1/4 kreuzer.)
Quote: "Andy289"​In my opinion it's just loss of time when you can approve other requests and possible of good data. I think a high percentage of users will add the pictures if it's possible when a new page is created and if not why should you push them to do something they don't want when they already gave you something good? This may lead to the loss of data if the user is upset enough for such a policy and won't submit the page again with pictures. Since we deal with different people it would be a gain for all of us any good content approved. Sorry if I am harsh and let me know if my logic is broken.
​No, your logic is fine. Except one thing, it is not high percentage but actually very veryy low. That is why.
Catalogue administrator
I doubt the people don't get pictures because they are lazy. As long I used to be referee there was just few times when new pages has been added intentionally without pictures, it was a user that didn't had enough time to properly prepare the pictures. After all it's not important at all if people don't add the pictures because they are lazy or not, the work on catalog is voluntary so I can understand your disappointment to see incomplete pages (I hate that too) but can't fully understand the pressure that you put on the people that voluntarily give you something good, even if is incomplete. My concern is that other referees will embrace this trend because they are looking at your actions and rightly you are their model.
I just ask them if they can add the pictures and if they cannot, they can send it back to me. ;)
Catalogue administrator
I get slightly more than half of new coin requests without pictures.
If the rest looks ok I usually accept the sheet with a remark that it would be kind to add pictures of their coins, even if they are in a low grade.
I think most don't want to add pictures because they think their picture quality is not good or that their coin is of a too low grade.
If you like coins, medals and tokens with ship motives follow my new instagram account with regular updates @numisnautiker
From time to time I sell some coins on Ebay make sure to follow me @apuking on Ebay.
I've had a few requests which were strange to say the least.

But i I have to say majority of new files have pictures.. we have a good core of contributors too my countries/ colonies.

which is further to my reasoning of getting "approved contributor status"
in which way these stellar contributors can add their files directly too the catalogue as before BUT the referee still has to Mark them as complete in the same way a request would come through.
Quote: "Mark240590"​which is further to my reasoning of getting "approved contributor status"
​in which way these stellar contributors can add their files directly too the catalogue as before BUT the referee still has to Mark them as complete in the same way a request would come through.
​I will say that there IS a way to add a coin to a country that you do not have control over, as long as you are referee for at least one country. You can add new coins, but not modify data. I'm just saying that there is a way to do it, so that if approved by Jarcek, we could do something like mark said without having to have anything done by Xavier.
Going around fellow referees is not the best way how to do this.
Catalogue administrator
It was one of the multiple 'hacks' that I found during my time as a referee and team member on here. One that came in very handy during the absence of Xavier..
0:):°
In what way did going around validation came in handy? B. Since you were team member, you could have validate your own requests after week anyway. Xavier absence had no effect on this and you explicitly whatever.

EDIT: I hope Xavier will fix this "hack" soon.
Catalogue administrator
Quote: "Jarcek"​In what way did going around validation came in handy? B. Since you were team member, you could have validate your own requests after week anyway. Xavier absence had no effect on this and you explicitly whatever.

​EDIT: I hope Xavier will fix this "hack" soon.
​I was referee at the time, not team member. I became team member in May 2015 and Xavier reappeared on the website on January 10, 2015.
Ok, it makes sense this way.
Catalogue administrator
Quote: "nthn"
Quote: "Mark240590"​which is further to my reasoning of getting "approved contributor status"
​​in which way these stellar contributors can add their files directly too the catalogue as before BUT the referee still has to Mark them as complete in the same way a request would come through.
​​I will say that there IS a way to add a coin to a country that you do not have control over, as long as you are referee for at least one country. You can add new coins, but not modify data. I'm just saying that there is a way to do it, so that if approved by Jarcek, we could do something like mark said without having to have anything done by Xavier.
​You can add a coin under a country you are a referee of. make all edits you want. then move that coin to the country where it belongs.
and you have gone around other referees easily 0:)
I will admit I've done that once when I wanted to add some Fujairah pattern coins that are considered fantasy. Added all under Fujairah, edited all, added links to each other, then moved them to exonumia.
It was only to make Jarek's life easier without him approving a request every 5 mins - and easier for me too! 8.
Catalog Master Referee & Referee for UAE
https://www.instagram.com/amer.coins
Amer Salmeh
[/whisper/] it was supposed to be a secret! [/whisper/]
PS: I know. I always check who is doing that and check the entries afterwards. ;)
Catalogue administrator
Quote: "Jarcek"​PS: I know. I always check who is doing that and check the entries afterwards. ;)
​Jarek's Intelligence Agency (JIA) :D
Catalog Master Referee & Referee for UAE
https://www.instagram.com/amer.coins
Amer Salmeh
I will demand some ritual sacrifices of two live chicken later you sinners! :O

No, really, I believe you did it in good faith, but it could be easily abused.
Catalogue administrator
So I got this request:

to add the following: (pic taken from the source link)

:D
Catalog Master Referee & Referee for UAE
https://www.instagram.com/amer.coins
Amer Salmeh
Delete. You can also write in that such coin does not exist. :°
Catalogue administrator
A beautiful note for the banknote side of this website..
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...
Quote: "AmerSalmeh"​So I got this request:

​to add the following: (pic taken from the source link)

:D
​I had simmilar request like this one  :D
Former numista referee for Poland and half of african countries.
I invite you to my FB group about commemorative coins : https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635288620035921
Quote: "Oklahoman"​A beautiful note for the banknote side of this website..
​let's add a 1000 banknotes overnight and make a revolution X-D
Catalog Master Referee & Referee for UAE
https://www.instagram.com/amer.coins
Amer Salmeh
Lol...ok
Library Media Specialist, columnist, collector, and gardener...

» Forum policy

Used time zone is UTC+1:00.
Current time is 13:13.