I’m not in favor of restricting users from adding items labeled as “no longer existing.” The term itself is ambiguous — even if a note was officially fully redeemed or never issued, such items may still survive in private collections or reappear through auctions. Declaring them non-existent overlooks the unpredictable nature of numismatics. It may even lead a user who isn’t deeply involved in the hobby to wrongly conclude that their item is a fake or worthless — when in fact, it could be extremely rare. Sure, that’s not likely to happen often, but it’s still possible and worth keeping in mind.
Instead of limiting access, we should focus on validating entries through structured criteria. I suggest that for controversial or exceptionally rare items — like the ones we’re discussing here — a stricter process could be applied.
I propose implementing a button — as previously suggested — that, when activated by the referee for a specific item, allows a user to add that item to their collection only if it is submitted as an example. The example must be graded by a certified grading company and approved by the referee. Only then will the user’s logged item be counted in their collection. This approach provides referees with a clear standard for verification, strengthens Numista’s Example section, and ensures that collectors can continue to document rare items.
What do you think ?