A Collection for a Two Year Old (now3!)... forum friends help! Please!

Nic

I have a great 2 1/2 yr. old boy who currently loves coins like dad. He has attended over a dozen shows and auctions. He "reads" my auction cat.'s and coin world, helps me with coins on the web, and collects my change. "Daddy ... coins" . I know the odds are against me in thinking he will always feel this way. Despite this I am trying to add to both of our collections.
So far I have started/almost finished a year set of MS $20, from his conception till he's twenty, all 100 years older than him. He has a great collection of original holder proof and mint sets up to 1964.
What else might be good during and 20yrs. from now? A set of circ. mercs? Remember, he will have to leave my coins alone! .
K

kamehameha00

Lincolns?

Nic

May I add... yes he is spoiled, no I never got crap, yes this may be all he gets. Sheesh. K

Stork

A silver and a gold eagle from the year of his birth.

My son's interest started a little later, at around 4. From his point of view, SBAs and Sacajaweas because they were on the Powerpuff girls (future tooth fairy money). He did get a little confused though because I showed him an Ike and he didn't think boys could be on the dollar coin, just girls.

He also likes buffalo nickels and foreign coins and doesn't think it is wierd at all that mommy spends money to buy money (too bad the husband doesn't always see it that way!) Of course, he also likes whatever is in our pockets!

This may only work when he gets older, but have him point to a picture of what he likes. It may not make 'sense' in terms of value, numismatic interest or aesthetics, BUT it will give him fun and a good attitude.

Later, I hope he will get interested in something he can hunt for in change until he makes money so he can start buying his own.

A long answer to a short question...and now he is whispering in my ear he wants a krugerrand (I think his papa just set me up for that one!) Foolish me just showed him a picture of one too.

Cathy

Dog97

1-20 years run of Classic $20 is a neat idea. You might also think about a complete 100 year before birth year set like I work on for my little girl. That way you can collect IHC's, Lib Nicks, Barbers, Morgans and the gold too. Since you will only be focusing on only 1 year you can concentrate on quality rather than just grabbing a coin to fill a hole.
A birth year set of PCGS Moderns is fun to do too.

SMS

Currently I am filling the following:

Family Collection (hopefully to be passed on to the family heir): Every world legal tendered issue coin for the 20th century and beyond, as well as a complete U.S. legal tendered issue, business and proof stirke, world bullion, commems....just about anything we can get our hands on, from any country, any condition AG and above...as long as we can complete the set before we die

Personal Collections;
Myself - Dollar increment coins....cause they're the biggest U.S. and world in decimal increments of comparable 100x base (or dollar amounts), these I will collect and continue to collect until I am satisfied with it, then keep it to admire or sell it if/when I find something REALLY REALLY kool I'd like otherwise.

Wife - Quarter sets...don't know why, but she just like quarters....could be from childhood if she ever spent hours in an arcade..that's all she woulda seen Never really bothered to ask..she jsut wants quarters. U.S. and foreign, just as long as it is decimal system of 25x base increments.

Daughter #1 - Half Dollars....she's four...they're big...they pretty much stay out of the mouth...and when they arrive inside the mouth, they go not further than the teeth U.S. and world decimal....when she turns 25 of gets married, the set is hers to do with as she pleases...until then, we will continue to add to it.

Daughter #2 - Nickels....she's two...she saw the family set of "V"s and said "Oooooh...ummm..." and won't leave them alone...so she gets nickels.....same as above....U.S. and world..yadda, yadda...til married or 25 same story.

Son #1 and heir - Pennies! Why?! dunno...seems apropriate...he's the youngest/smallest...and pennies worldwide are very easy to obtain. Same story. Married or 25..whichever comes first...then they're his for the taking. Doesn't matter if they stay in the "spirit" of the coins or not, at least they'll have a piece of history, and possibly a nice nest egg in 25 years, and the whole time the wife and I are able to have fun searching for and finding the coins our children's sets will need.

Whether they appreciate it or not, I believe that building sets for our children is more for our own pleasure than theirs. And if they happen to get into the spirit of the hobby or not, they'll have a nice nest egg, or a great start to their own heirloom set to pass on to their children, or to use to help build they're family.

Then way we decided to do it, is that each child will have their own denomination we will work on after fulfilling the family collection. So each one will have something different when the time comes. And it's easier to build two complete world sets than five to eleven of them!

Just my thoughts and what we ourselves are doing In any case, have fun yourself and enjoy the whole process!

Nic

Thank you for the replies. A 100 year old year set sounds like a great idea ( high grade)... thanks dog. I would also like coins he can "play" with however... both physically and financially if he wants something different. I will stay with US coins minted before 1964 and thinking more used than unc.; he can always change. Beats giving him cash. I am not doing this because I have a secret desire to go build a circ. set. Merc's? Indian 1c.? Lincolns? Would appreciate more words of wisdom! K

vrtech99

Just a thought but... i always loved the buffalo nickles when i was a kid, all boys like indians.... it kept my interest in coins then led to other avenues.....

MJPHELAN

I started my son off with a 20th century type set. He liked them all. He finally settled on Buffalo Nickels. He is eight now, and has just completed his set!

mark

razorface1027

Needless to say....But, I must...MORGANS, MORGANS, MORGANS, and more MORGANS....

Blade

I haven't started collections for the kids yet (2 yr old girl and 4 month old boy), but another board member Lablover, gave my daughter a 2003 SAE proof. She loves it! Whenever I start looking at coins, she runs to my coin drawer and and yells "Katie's"!! (ie, possessive for Katie's coin). I pull out the SAE. She loves the blue box - flips it open and shut, pulls out the coin, shows it off to everyone (mama, baby brother, dog, cats...). She gets such a kick out of it and says "ooohhhh" when she looks at the reflective surface.

Lablover (Jim) - That coin is a huge hit!

Senlathiel

I have a 7 yr old son who is helping me collect coins. He is totally unimpressed with old dates, but if I show him a coin made during his birthyear, he goes nuts. Might I suggest collecting coins/proofs of your son's birth year from around the world? It'd take ya awhile.

ccr

If money isn`t an issue, tring a " CC " Mintmark set of Morgans may be an idea. The 89 - CC and 93 - CC would hit hard on the pocket book. A Mercury Dime set is a good idea as well as a set of Buffalo Nickels. An AU set of Bust Halfs with or without varieties would look impressive too , in my eyes at least.

Skipper53

A silver proof set from the year of his birth and on.
They'll be worth their weight in gold eventually and,
they'll be protected from dirty fingers.

sinin1

start him a set he can touch and hold - once he is old enough not to try and eat



get a state quarter map and go to the bank and get a couple rolls of quarters - have him look through them to find the different backs - will teach him geography as well



If I went to most high schools and asked students what a $20 gold piece was, 95% would have never seen one or have any idea what it was.

Nic

He is now over three and still loves coins .... any other suggestions? K

boiler78

Both my boys are working on circulated type sets. I figured it would be an excellent way for them to learn more about the different coin series and from this beginning they would naturally drift toward a favorite. I am beginning to think they may just stick to type and work on upgrades as they get older. They really like the variety.

Catch22

Ike Dollars. They're cheap and he can't swallow them Seriously, Indians, Buffs, Mercs and Wheaties. I'd get him hooked on filling holes in all 4. At some point, he'll have a particular interest in something.

KlectorKid

I would suggest Peace dollars. They arent really tough to find and you can buy them for alot or a little. Also they are nice big shiny and heavy. Might be fun to mess around with.

Mrpawn

Mrpawn

Type sets

Complete (as possible) or 20th Century - Most kids like variety and many like to know the history so that they can then show off their knowledge to their friends

From a decent Type Set he can decide to collect a series or varieties or improve upon what he already has


This has worked with several Boy Scouts and neices of mine

tmot99

What I've done for my daughters (not quite 3 years, and 2 months) is daddy has the nice coins and I started a circulated set for my first daughter. As I have gone along and find a good deal on a nice set of something, I buy a new nice set. I upgraded my entire Roosy set and Jefferson Nickel set. The older set went to my first daughter and the circulated then goes to my youngest. She is obvisouly too young to show any interest in coins. My 2 year old has been into my coins since she was 1. Loves to see my coins as I am looking at them.

I have been working on a high grade type set. As I have upgraded, I have kept the lower grades and will put those into a type set for each girl.

I like the 100 year idea. I may work on that.

291fifth

Nice type coins are always a good choice. Great variety, too. I have been slowly building a twentieth century type set for my nephew (now 8) since he was born.

razorface1027

Morgans!...Take the psychological approach.

Nic

Thanks everyone! My 3 year old is still into coins though in an all coins "mine" , including auction cat.'s coins , mode right now. I like the type and "filling holes" ideas and think he will as well. I'll keep you all posted on how it goes. I appreciate the help !!!!!
K

ccex

My grandfather lit the spark that kindled my collection with a Booby Head large cent in AG, an 1845 dime in Fair, and an 1832 Louis Phillipei 5 Franc coin in Fine. I still have all of them almost 40 years later.

I have had no luck getting any nephews or neices interested in coins even though each one has a proof set from the year of their birth. Even my sister told me to take the Brown Ikes my parents bought her when she was in grade school.

I may have better luck with my 19-month-old grandson, though. I keep some dateless Buffalo and Liberty nickels in front of my computer. My grandson enjoys dropping these into the duplexer of my laser printer. He won't disturb my #2 Barber Dime set (even though it is within his reach), and is bored by my slabbed coins when I show them to him. I may have found another collector of well-circulated coins after all!

LincolnCentMan

A type set would be great.


I got started on Lincolns. I moved away from them several times, but always came back.


Also, if it's something like a circ mercury set (or any of a number of other less expencive circ sets), you could include one coin a week in his allowance .

David