Speaking of talking to each other, a lot of you are members of the Dagger Dot Com and other sites. It is a chance to instantly communicate with others and this is definitely a good thing. The only thing I do not like about these sites is the unfairness that is built into the system. I see collectors put pictures of stuff they want to buy on the site and then proceed to ask opinions of collectors throughout the world. This, in itself, is surely innocent enough and probably is meant with the best of intentions. It could indeed even be a worthy pursuit or even an attempt to show others what a neat thing you are buying. But, opinions should only be allowed if everyone out there expressing an opinion is indeed an expert on the subject and qualified to render a such a statement. It does not seem right to me when people who don't really know anything about the subject - who use phony names and handles - jump in and render negative comments. Since the collecting community tends to be, in general, a jumpy, suspicious lot, the negativity expressed by one person is usually enough to discourage a potential buyer. In my life experience, it is rare to find two or three people who will 100% agree on anything, let alone hundreds or even thousands of people around the world! While it is true some dealers do need negative exposure if they have a reputation for selling non-authentic things, but on the other hand, I do not think it is fair to subject the merchandise of a recognized, qualified, multi-years-of-experience dealer with the opinions of someone who has been collecting for two weeks, or someone who may have an axe-to-grind against the dealer. By rights, since the dealer has unconditionally guaranteed the authenticity of his product, if there is a doubt, the item should be first purchased, and then submitted for appraisal to two or three other qualified dealers. The selling dealer should also be informed of the pending process thus giving him the right to refuse the sale if he does not agree with it. (A dealer intentionally selling bad stuff will not agree to this giving the buyer his out.) I am not trying to discourage the Dot. com sites, but I think there is another way that is fairer.
