Collecting coins has brought me a great amount of joy in my life. I have had the opportunity to meet wonderful people inside the hobby. I have enjoyed studying about great men and women of the past who have graced our US coins. For me, one of the most relaxing things to do is to sit down with a big pile of circulated coin rolls and open them one by one. I enjoy looking for the hidden gems that people spent, never knowing what treasure they held in their hands.
This enjoyment is something that I am now having the opportunity to share with my children. As a hobbyist there are few things more exciting then watching the next generation enjoy the same things that you do. My hope is that my children will be numismatists for the rest of their lives, and that they will hand the hobby down to their children.
Getting children interested in coin collecting in this video game word isn’t easy. Here are 5 effective steps that I have used in order to get my kids started.
Start small
Many older coin collectors have moved on to bigger fish. They are looking to buy coins of great current or future value. As a child the investment is not an important consideration. Have your children start on a set such as Jefferson Nickels. This set is the easiest to complete and almost all of them can be found in circulation. Even the hardest to find coins in this grouping can be found for under $15 at most coin shops. Using nickels also allows them to cheaply buy rolls of coins to dig through regularly. The best case scenario will have them sorting through a roll of coins 2-3 times per week. This will keep the excitement high. There is also a great chance they will find some Buffalos while digging which will be a true treat for them.
Be excited with them
OK, you know the coin they are looking at isn’t double stamped. You know it’s probably worthless and dirty. Be excited at what they are looking at anyways. Many times kids see things that simply are not there but they are excited anyways. If your child finds a “priceless” coin allow them to cherish it without ruining the high. Let them lock it up in a special place for safe keeping.
Get a special storage box
As a gift help your child obtain a special storage box to keep the coins/books/sleeves in. Not only will this help teach them to keep their collection organized it will also give them a special vault to pull things out of. Having a neat storage device will keep the excitement high every time they pull out their collection to show their friends.
Give them one of yours
Find a great coin in your collection to hand down to your child. This coin needs to be common enough that if something happens to it the world doesn’t end, but it also needs to be special enough that they have not seen many. I recommend a nice Mercury Dime or Indian Head penny. Many of these are great looking but easily replaceable. For your child though they will be a relic from eons past.
Bring home surprises
Just like a husband should be bringing home flowers for his wife, so should a father bring home coins for his children. Surprise them from time to time with rolls of coins from the bank. Allow them to go through the change in your pocket. If you are feeling real nice throw some cheap Wheat Pennies in with your pocket change so they can find a treasure.
As your child’s collection grows so will their joy in it. At some point they will no longer need you to keep the hobby going. They will be true collectors. You will have successfully passed down one of the greatest hobbies in the world to your children while creating some wonderful memories for everyone.
