Next Maccas Book

[markn]

No permission was asked for.  PPH will be along shortly to explain why her name is in the book.

[purplepennyhunter]

I take it no permission was asked for?

I also see Purple penny hunter got a thanks at the start of the book at least.

No permission was asked.

We give permission for lots of people to use our images, they only have to ask. In return we only require a couple of things. I am very very careful when I write for the Australian Coin Collecting Blog about where it sources images if they are not our own, it's all about respect -oh and the law. Its taken us a lot of time and money to perfect our photography and our images have our watermark (copyright) for a reason.

My name is in the book because of help I gave Greg through the Aussiecoins/ACBO forum on corrections and mintages. That was about 2009.

[trout]

I take it no permission was asked for?

I also see Purple penny hunter got a thanks at the start of the book at least.

No permission was asked.

We give permission for lots of people to use our images, they only have to ask. In return we only require a couple of things. I am very very careful when I write for the Australian Coin Collecting Blog about where it sources images if they are not our own, it's all about respect -oh and the law. Its taken us a lot of time and money to perfect our photography and our images have our watermark (copyright) for a reason.

My name is in the book because of help I gave Greg through the Aussiecoins/ACBO forum on corrections and mintages. That was about 2009.

This is a sort of Backhanded compliment PP, Yours must have been the best images that Greg could find.
However I do agree that Permission should have been asked before using your intellectual property, I hope Greg makes the appropriate apologies and makes this good.

[Australian coin]

I haven’t got the book yet, but if someone had pinched my pictures to make money out of it lets just say shite would hit the fan.
I share pictures of coins and stuff to help others identify their own coins, not for them to be claimed by other people as their own.

[markn]

This is a sort of Backhanded compliment PP, Yours must have been the best images that Greg could find.

There's nothing complimentary about it.  It's no better than an eBay seller using one of our images to represent a coin they don't have and no better than someone selling unlicensed Batman t-shirts.

[markn]

A quote from the Australian Copyright Law website.

The mere act of uploading your photos to a website or blog does not mean that you lose copyright
protection. However, given that it is easy for people to reproduce photos they find on the internet, it
is a good idea to take some practical measures to help protect against this, in addition to relying on
your legal rights. For example, you should consider watermarking your photos with your name and
the copyright notice (this may also give you an additional right of action if someone removes the
watermark). You should also put a clear statement on your website about copyright and how
people can get permission if they want to use your work. For more information see our information
sheet Websites & copyright.

[enworb]

Im surprised Greg was so careless/disrespectful. I would feel pretty cheated if it were my photos taken (not that mine are good enough to take lol).

[Greg McDonald]

Gudday everyone

I appreciated the invitation to join the new forum and I hope that members will continue to help make improvements and correct mistakes. One mistake I am really ashamed of was using a few pics with getting written permission. I got an email from Mark and I posted the following reply the same day.  I am posting it here with another apology.  It is not my style to not give credit to people who help me with information in the book.  If you look at the gold section I have given full credit to Barrie Winsor and his son Tim.  In the LSD section I have given special mention to Klaus Ford and several other dealers; in the decimal section there are numerous mentions (as there should be) of Wayne Roberts;  In the banknote sections there are special mentions to thank Judy Shaw, Trevor Wilkin, John Petitt and Rob Jackman.  As well as this I try and cover as many people as humanly possible. If I've missed anyone I sincerely apologise.

A lot of what I have read so far concerns criticisms of pricing.  Many of the comments posted here would be covered if the writer could spare a few minutes to read the comments on page 8. Under a heading reading "NOTE REGARDING PRICING IN THIS BOOK."
It then goes on to say "PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE GOING TO THE PRICING SECTION."

The first sentence starts by saving " It cannot be stressed strongly enough that the prices listed in this book are a guide......."

The text then goes on to explain that low quality coin and banknote prices are not valued just on the items itself but has a premium to cover the cost of sorting, grading, packaging, identifying etc.  THe prices in the book relate to dealers who pay their GST and the host of other taxes associated with running a business.

In short, I don't mind constructive criticism, but Geez guys please don't look at the 30 or 40 pages out of a book that runs to over 500 pages and go for the jugular without reading the "instructions."

I hope someone will start up a "Corrections for the 21st edition." I would appreciate all your feedback.  Earlier is better than later.  It's not uncommon for people who have really important information to post it to me in the mad pre-press four weeks leading up to print day.

A number of you made the comment that I should get the book out earlier in the year.  Actually this year I was ready to go to the printer the second week of November. Then the gremlins got into computer system and somehow over 3000 pics unlinked when I did a backup for the printer. They had to be found and relinked one at a time and that's the main reason for the delay.  However the printer told me about some updated software and a new computer that should solve the problem.  The difficulty is that most programs out there are for "home us". Things can get "iffy" when you start trying to do a file that contains over 3000 full colour pics.
Anyway my $6000 worth of new computer and software arrives in the net few days so all going to plan all future editions will be ready by the last week of November.

Thank you for reading this far.  I encourage everyone to support this new venture.  Congratulations to everyone involved in setting it up and having a go.

Best wishes for the New Year

Greg Mac

Hi Mark,

I sincerely apologise if I have upset you regarding the image on page 217.  It was not intentional. I have two other images of the same set (with different names) I could have used and I don't really know why I picked yours in particular.  I have over 20,000 images in my file that II have collected from everywhere.  I guess I have been spoilt over the years as companies such as Baldwins and Spink in London, Heritage in the USA as well as Nobles, Wrights and Downies have given me carte blanche to use any pics I want as it all helps to promote the hobby.  On the flip side I get dozens of requests each year from collectors wanting to use information in my books for articles and presentations and I always allow this for the same reasons.  Sometimes I get an acknowledgement and sometimes I don't but in the end I don't care.

I can fully appreciate if you don't share this fairly loose "give and take" and I can assure you I will remove the image and use an alternative.

Once again my apologies.

Regards for the New Year

Greg McDonald

[Steveqld]

Greg,

Welcome to the forum.  I'm sure your input will be most welcome.

Hopefully we've heard the last of the picture issue as that could have been dealt with privately.  There was nothing to gain from raising it publicly in the forum immediately after you were welcomed.  It happened, you've explained apologized, it's over and done with (hopefully) but I would also have been peeved had they been mine.

Again welcome and someone will likely start a corrections thread to take the book ahead rather than run it down.

Steve

[ausjack]

:welcome: Greg

:laugh2: sorry mate but please forgive me as you have to be joking "give and take". What does that means if people aren't happy with your actions?? So what do you give, besides an appology after you've taken something illegally and made money from it. You know it's called theft when you take something that's not your or you don't have LEGAL permition to use said item. So if I were you I'd be very careful of your business practices in future as people don't think like they use to and saying sorry just doesn't cut it any more and I don't think a judge would buy your excuse of so many pic's blah blah blah. And as soon as they see you've been doing this book for a long time they might even investigate to see what else you've been up to as the government is funny about things like that. So please do the right thing in future and get permition as you will do this to the wrong person one day and they will make you pay big time.

But I'd like to thank you as the guide was a big help when I first started but have found that due to incorrect information that doesn't get changed (eg mintage figures) and with very little extra content (I know this is a hard one to do anything about sorry) in each new edition I get most of the new info from the net as it so much quicker, easier and cheaper as your book is quite dear when your on a DSP and by the time I can afford one it's at least 5 years out of date..but such id life Sorry mate but the world isn't a nice place any more and it's not getting any better so good luck with it all..oh and don't worry I have the same complaint with the wrong info in rennik's as well so I'm not just havin a go at you  Please don't take this to heart mate and hang around as we'll all have a say, some good and some not so and maybe even have a few fights here and there but what family doesn't but then it's all good as they're a pretty good bunch on here..I'm the trouble maker so just ignore me and enjoy

[Australian coin]

Question time!

Where and how do you get your mintage's from?

[Greg McDonald]

Hi Steve & Jack,

Well I guess you couldn't get two more diverse replies to my recent blog. Thank you Steve for your understanding.  We all make mistakes and I have owned up to mine.

Jack I could better understand your tirade if I had denied any wrong doing.  This is my 25th book and the first time something like this has happened.  I keep duplicates on many images and I pressed the wrong button.  I am fully aware that there could be legal issues with this as I have been a member of the Australian Authors and Writers Association since 1984. I've admitted my error and apologised both personally and publicly.... which way to the scaffold?  What more can I say!

Oddly enough it has been my experience that when an item appears in a book the value of the item goes up.  In the recent Bentley auction in London (where the 1920 sov on the front cover sold for over $1m) there are a number of references regarding a certain lot being the "plate image" in my book. To most numismatists this added pedigree of a coin or banknote can boost the value.  I'm not saying that to water down my error but it is a fact.

In fact, about 10 or 12 years ago a collector with an almost complete collection of Australian banknotes offered me quite a lot of money for me to illustrate his banknotes in my book. I declined as I had better images for most of the notes and I didn't want the book to go "down scale."
I am also sorry that you feel the books offers nothing new. I would have thought that about 80 pages of new information on early Australian banknotes that took months of research would have accounted for something.  You might remember that a few years ago Wayne Roberts informed me that the decimal section was very sketchy and missing a lot of information. I didn't tell him to get lost or say it was all too hard.  He gave me the information and I included it.  When Barrie Winsor suggested I change the entire format of the sovereigns and half sovereigns and add an extra 70 images, I took that on board as I also did with suggestions by others to include first and last prefixes to the banknotes.  I think I have always been open minded to all suggestions but I cannot invent history.  I can only publish what is available. Yes you are right about the mintage figures.  I can only print the numbers I am told.  I have written to the mint on a number of times asking for updates as I've had complaints but nothing has happened.  If it really bugs you why don't list the corrections and I can promise you they will be in the next edition.  If you do it I will be happy to send you a free copy of the hardbound book which is limited to just 500 copies a year.  I will also make the same offer to anyone else who makes a substantial contribution to improving the book.

I'd like to close by saying that every year I make a conscious effort to produce the best book I am capable of.  It might come as a surprise to some of you that our work staff is just Jenny and I so as well as the book (plus two others in the pipeline) we look after the interests of our Insider Club as well as attend to all the stuff that goes into running a business.  On top of that I answer over 1200 enquiries a year from general collectors wanting help or advice.  I do my best.  I miss some but I answer most ... all free of charge and in most cases I even have to pay the postage.

I hope this just about covers everything

Regards


Greg

[trout]

Greg,

Welcome to the forum.  I'm sure your input will be most welcome.

Hopefully we've heard the last of the picture issue as that could have been dealt with privately.  There was nothing to gain from raising it publicly in the forum immediately after you were welcomed.  It happened, you've explained apologized, it's over and done with (hopefully) but I would also have been peeved had they been mine.

Again welcome and someone will likely start a corrections thread to take the book ahead rather than run it down.

Steve

I agree with this, except where it says "but I would also have been peeved had they been mine."
I would have been over the moon if one of MY Pic's made it into Macka's book :yahoo:

I consider Gregs Apology very public and very honest, this hoo hah about borrowed images should be put to bed by now.
C'mon you blokes , you are mates, so live and let live and let byegones be bygones :good:

Looking forward to further interesting input from PP,Makn and Greg.

[ausjack]

:cray:

[Greg McDonald]

So Ausjack,

Is that a yes you want to help or no you don't.  No hurry I can wait until you get over your cold.

Greg