Medal Artists

[Thespis26]

Hi,

I have just added my first medal to the site through nifiller, so please excuse my ignorance for the following questions, they may have been discussed before. If so, I have missed them though my own fault. I have myself opened the discussion many months ago with no avail.

While adding the medal, I have noticed that the nifiller wants information suited very much to decorations, but not art medals. Cataloguing according to date, award year periods is ok of course. Classifying these objects by "purpose" is also ok. But most medals (art) worldwide are usually classified also by their artists. When we have a art medal signed by its medallist, who usually are well known sculpturers, coin or medal artists etc., shouldn't we also add that information to colnect? The artist name usually helps to identify the country of origin and date the medal to artists' active years when no other information is available. I usually google search my new medals with their artist names. Afterall, most art medals are signed by artists (contra to coins and "decorations" which are usually unsigned)

I have also noticed another thing during using the nifiller: Shouldn't we have two different fields for obverse and reverse to put in inscriptions and describe the types there? Come on, all coins, medals, tokens and various exonumia should be catalogued with number one priority: obverse and reverse described fully and separately:):):) The custom really dates all the way back to 16th century and has been followed since:)

All of these I have discussed before when medals and decoration section was new, and received no replies since:(:(:( https://colnect.com/en/forum/viewtopic!f=136&t=63784

I really hope to start adding my collection here, but would like to do that "only once", not returning back to correct again and again. I have discovered that the most detail you provide in numismatics, you return back less:):)

[cerbpuppy]

You can insert name of artist in description for now. As well as actuall description of obverse and reverse. Here's example how it's done with coins: https://colnect.com/sl/coins/coin/5765- ... _Britanija

If you wish additional box for artists, I suggest you open a vote on this. I assume that when medal category was created, coordinators didn't think there's enough known authors of designs to include them.

I remember your other post, I have read it and start replying to it back then, but since I'm not collecting medals decided not to post it. It is well written, but honestly too long. And you express strong options, like there's just one way to collect medals. Colnect is universal and is designed to suit laymen and hard core collectors alike. As such it can hardly be optimal, but yes, there's room for improvement. I would suggest you start with one topic at time (like now) and try to generate enough interest (that's why I suggested vote).

[Thespis26]

Hi Cerbpuppy, I can now see that long messages have less appeal:):):) One more has to come though now:)

I understand by what you mean with laymen and hardy collector and how the site aims to please them both. Yet, I can also see that here, when various sections of the site are being created, when possible, existing book format catalogue models are taken into consideration. For example stamp section is well organised using standard catalogues like Michel, Yvert, most of which have been in print for more than 70-80 years, and thus have already covered all problems that may rise in a field and organised them in book format. Here we merely follow their guidelines, adding specimens and photos from our collections but all other data from printed books.

For coins Krause catalogues are now covering regular, "official" coinages of "recognised" countries from 16th to 21st century completely. As colnect has not taken those examples throughly, now everyone has to go back and add to "types", "year" and "mint" varieties. What a waste of time and effort. Had these been implemented when the section started, Colnect would have had more appeal to coin collectors.

With other "exonumia" fields like "tokens", "medals" and "decorations" there are no book format, set guidelines that everyone may agree upon. These objects have been produced in less numbers to start with, and although many collectors may have them in their collections, they are harder to come by and seldomly are covered in books too specialised - sometimes those books you can only access in equally specialised numismatic libraries.

Now these sections are new with few objects in them (in comparison to coins for example). If the foundations are set correctly at the start, they can grow healthily from now on. And for these objects we have to revert back to most simple rules of numismatics - a full and standard way of description of the object that everyone can understand and use. Really there is no need to sail and discover America again, these are available:):):)

for medals:

Name of the object

Country of origin

Mint

Artist

Date

Metal

Weight

Diameter

Die Axis

Obverse inscription and description

Reverse inscription and description

Notes: on the historical significance and purpose of the object.

Yes, from the example you have shown, all of these can be entered to the description area, and many of the fields already exist as boxes and required during nifiller process of entering a new object. But wouldn't it be best if all existed as separate boxes? This would thereby remind and force the person making the entry to fill them all, laymen or hardy he/she may be:):):) That was my point when I opened this discussion. For art medals "artist" is a must, because that is how they are being published in books and articles usually.

[cerbpuppy]

That post was easier to read , mostly because it was just on one topic. Easier to respond to, as well.

First of all, I can't discuss medals, since I don't know anything about them. However, I can tell you couple of things about Colnect in general.

New fields can be added, recent addition to phone cards catalog is proof of that. But since Colnect coding team is small, it takes a while. The more interest is for something, higher the priority.

Most of Colnect runs on volunteer basis. From adding new items, adding new information, editing, translating, coordinating... So when new item is added to any catalog, it's more likely than not that half of the information will be missing. Because collector that added item, don't care about it or s/he doesn't know it. And then members or editors try to find missing information and fill it up. Which can take hours.

The idea about grouping medals by artist sounds nice, until you check Postcard's autors. 6000+ names, most of them authors of just 1 item in catalog. And many names are duplicated, because whoever submited them, didn't pay attention to order of name and surname or misspelled them...

My point is that anything can be done, but there needs to be enough interest and somebody needs to do it. Once again I'm suggesting that you start a vote (it's easier to simply click on Yes/No and be heard, especially for members that don't know English, than to post full blown discussion).

PS: If you decide to add information on artist to description field, you can still poll all medals by means of "hidden filter" : /description/ . Example for Bruce Rushin from previus link: https://colnect.com/sl/coins/countries/ ... ion/Rushin