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Date: | Wed, 14 Jun 2000 11:31:21 -0400 |
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Yes, the word "amateur" seems to have taken on a rather negative connotation
in recent years. Many people take it as meaning someone who doesn't know
much yet or isn't very good at something yet - essentially a synonym for
novice, and antonym for expert. Originally the word meant "one who is not
paid", as opposed to a professional (one who is paid) for otherwise similar
services. It was understood that an amateur could be just as knowledgable
and proficient in a field as a professional. An amateur simply did it as an
avocation rather than a profession. Perhaps the most obvious application of
the term in days gone by was the Olympics - the greatest athletes in the
world - all amateurs! Of course the appearance of the "Dream Team" pretty
well trashed that application. Anyway, collectors certainly cannot be
categorized like specimens, but I didn't take the current thread as a
serious attempt to do that. So much of it was tongue-in-cheek if not
downrght silly.
Paul M.
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