Nine Hundred 'hits'

Although this is a pretty esoteric subject and I am aware that my treatment of it is not to everyone's taste, it is interesting to see that according to the counter over to the left today this blog had its nine hundredth thousand "hit" since its timid beginning on Saturday, 12 July 2008. 

That's quite gratifying, although of course I'd probably get that number in a few months or so if I blogged about celebrity "wardrobe malfunctions", White Supremacy or cute kitty pictures. But that is not why I spend a lot of my spare time tapping away at the keyboard and trying to get my thoughts into coherent form and spell it rite, and enduring all the crap I get for it.

Many of the 900000 hits of course represent people who came across this blog by accident had a quick look, decided it was not for them and scarpered never to return. Others are the metal detectorists and coin collectors who stoutly deny they ever read the "He-who-shall-not-be-named-blog" and creep over and have a look anyway and return to their own forums with pursed lips. Then there are the would-be saboteurs and denigrators in the same communities, looking for some dirt or a "hook". But also there are people who are obviously researching a topic and trawling through successive posts for hours. The software also reveals this blog is sometimes read by government agencies and professional bodies on both sides of the Atlantic, and occasionally consulted by officials elsewhere. Then there are the auction houses and (dealers') lawyers. In short, a bit of something for everyone.