When I was a kid growing up, everyone collected something – baseball cards, stamps, comic books, die cast figures, coins, model kits of cars, airplanes, even monsters! Compared to today’s kids, we may have led more sheltered lives, but we seemed worldlier. When was the last time a kid looked through a Sears Toy catalog and circled microscope or chemistry set? Now, a gift card to GameStop is the only gift they ask for. Most people would never think to – much less know how to – introduce their children to the joys of collecting – and for me, specifically, coin collecting.
Coin Collecting opens a door to a whole new world – filled with history and interest in the United States and the rest of the world. And, as a child’s curiosity grows, the more eager he or she is to seek out information and learn.
So how do you get them started? One of the easiest ways is to buy them a state quarters map, like the ones here. Then it’s just a matter of going through your pocket change to see how many quarters you find. You’ll be surprised how quickly a child will know all the states and keep track of which quarters they don’t have. And don’t forget to double the fun – get a second map for a sibling or friend, and before you know it, kids will be trading quarters like we once traded baseball cards! What happens when the map is full? You educate them about mint marks and suggest that they go for another collection – one with D mint marks and one with no mint marks.
Pennies are a very inexpensive way to start collecting. The Lincoln Cent has been around for over 100 years and has had several design changes. In 2009, there were four different designs! Encourage your budding numismatics to see if they can find one of each design – from the wheat back to the new shield back. Let them decide if they want to try and collect all the Memorial backs or all the Wheat backs. Wheatbacks are getting harder to find, as many of us old-timers hoard them. Who doesn’t know someone with a coffee can of Wheaties? We sell a mixed bag here.
The Presidential Dollars are a very nice, educational series. There was always that one kid in school who could sing out all the Presidents names in order. Trust me, once you start collecting Presidential Dollars, kids very quickly learn the order, and hopefully, a little bit about each President. Why did Grover Cleveland get two coins? Since dollars are more expensive, you might want to get a roll and pay them for chores with dollar coins. That’s a win-win! They may take out the garbage a day early! And again, all you need is an album like this. Unfortunately, the Mint stopped releasing Presidential Dollars for circulation in 2012, so the newer Presidents can be tricky to find. We have year sets available here.
The United States Mint is continually trying to come up with new ways to interest collectors. In December 2018, they released the first coin of a new series – the American Innovation Dollars. It will be similar to the State Quarters – a dollar coin for every state and territory, released in the order that the states ratified the Constitution and/or were admitted to the Union. Each coin will feature an innovation, innovator or group of innovators from each State or territory. This time around they did something unique – they included an introductory coin in the series featuring George Washington’s signature as it appeared on the first patent. In case you missed it, you can get one here. And, for the first time ever, the West Point Mint is striking circulating quarters that carry a “W” mint mark. These quarters cannot be purchased directly from the Mint, instead, collectors will need to search for them in change. There will be a total of ten million “W” mint mark quarters made for circulation. Mixed in with P & D rolls of quarters, it is truly a treasure hunt trying to find one.
What happens when Junior’s hobby grows by leaps and bounds? There are local coin clubs, Facebook groups, and Coin Shows to seek out. Many fellow collectors are willing to “trade.” Don’t be surprised if other adults get bit by the collecting bug too. Once people know you collect, they start looking at their own change more carefully. So go ahead and give your nephew a Silver Eagle for graduation. You may just create a future collector!