Kids and Coins

Longacre

I had two questions. The first deals with my daughter. She is a little over 3 years old and she loves to look at Daddy's coins. I really don't have many that are un-slabbed, but she likes to look at my Ike's and SBA's that I just have thrown in a box (she even uses my loupe to look at them). I was wondering how many of you buy a few old coins from the "junk box" and let your kids have fun with them in terms of looking at the coins, talking about them, etc.? I was thinking of buying a cheap Morgan, Peace, Buffalo, etc., and giving them to her. Any thoughts?

Second question-- I read in one of the trade magazines that some people give out during Halloween, in addition to candy, a few very cheap coins from the "junk box" (like dateless buffalos, etc.). They thought it was a good way to get kids interested in collecting. Has anyone ever done this?

RKKay

There have been threads in the past about giving coins away at Halloween, and several members here do that. As well, several of us talk at schools, boy scouts, etc. and give coins away then. Some of us also give them away at shows. Any way to entice kids into the field is great, in my opinion.

coachleonard

speaking for myself from memory, when i was 8, i really enjoyed going thru my dad's foreign coins he brought back from his navy
travels. I was also thrilled with ANY US coin that wasnt made any more (like a mercury dime)

tmot99

My daughter will be 3 in about a month. She loves my hobby. She's a daddy's girl so anything I did, she would be interested in. She loves to look through the loupe or the cheap plastic magnifying glass I gave her. She is just as happy with a penny as she is with my more expensive coins. I don't have a problem giving her a certified coin to look at, but she never gets to touch raw coins.

JrGMan2004

I think it's a good idea, though it shouldn't be an outright "give" the coins to your kid, at least until she's a little older. Keep them in a box with your collection, and bring them out for her to look at, but always under your supervision. Don't want her to do stupid things with them after all My little buddy that just turned 3 recently swallowed a penny

And I think anything that gets kids interested in the hobby is great. I love the guys that promote the Baltimore Coin and Currency Show, and the Lakeland Collect-O-Rama, because they give every kid that walks through the door a free handful of money. It's mostly junk and foreign coins, but really, a kid can be fascinated by the slightest strangest things.

coinandcurrency242

When I was 7 or so my Grandpa gave me a treasure chest with 20-40 foriegn coins and a pirates map. He told me he stole it when the pirates saw him coming and they ran off. Even though it was not a real map or treasure chest it made me very interested in coins.

BowTieCoins

My youngest is three, and at two she was looking through the loupe, and would always say coins coins coins real fast when you'd bring them out for her to look at. She has even snuck some good rolls out and I found her with them scattered around her on the floor with the loupe. If the loupe is ever missing we always find Theresa to find the loupe, LOL.
So we found out the hard way she loves coins and we have to lock them up from her, but our loupe's have a string around them so I don't like her take them either but its alittle safer.
I think the younger you can get them interested in coins the better.
We have six kids and I wish they all had the interest like Theresa does, the older ones I think dread the topic of coins sometimes, LOL. But the right day and the right mood and all of them have some interest, and bat a boom bat a bing the next thing you know they've learned a thing or two, LOL!

Katrina

coinguy89

I read in a coin magazine about a couple who would give away off-center lincoln pennys at halloween.

KlectorKid

Foreign coins seem to be favorites. There tastes will mature over time.

solid

I agree that World coins are a great way to get kids interested. There are so
many different shapes, sizes and colors with designs that really catch a kid's
attention - like animals!

You can buy them by the pound and let them put together an album by
country. They can have a great time trading with each other for countries
they need.

It's all good!

Ken

EvilMCT

My daughter has all but stopped my sniping on eBay. As soon as she discovers me online, she rushes in yelling "Coins!" and jumps in my lap. Whenever this happens, I know my buy time is over. We usually end up at Anaconda's store for drooling purposes. I have given my daughter her own "coins" that she lugs around to show everyone. These consist of bus tokens, foreign coins, etc that I put into 2x2's for her. If her interests continue, I'll have a YN to deal with in the years to come. If not; oh well, it's been fun.

Ken

1957joe

Of my 4 kids, only my 6 year old has a real interest. I have given him probably 100 coins and paper that he keeps in a 3 ring binder of 2x2's. he talks to me about coins almost every day. It's amasing how much he has learned.
He is so good in handling them that he has permission to look at mine anytime he wants.
He knows that the majority of my coins will go to the child that shows the most interest and proves that they can take care of them.
Joe

ccr

From the sounds of it, I`m not the only one who picked up the hobby from our parents. My dad use to take me to the coin shop when I was a kid and I usually got Wheat Cents and he usually picked up a Morgan or Peace dollar. I really liked to look at the Morgan and Peace Dolars. Funny thing is is that the first coins I look at know when at a coin shop or looking online are Morgan and Peace Dollars. Also around that time I had a bunch of pennies ( about a hundred dollars worth ) and just go through it and look at them. She maybe a tad young for that kind of stuff but, that`s up to you .

Fairlaneman

The kids are grown and gone so buying coins is out of the question.

One Halloween evening probably 10+ years ago the Candy disappeared quickly. I remembered that a tin of dateless Buffalo's was under the coffee table so the remaining 15 kids that came to the house received 5 or 6 of the coins. You should have seen the look of puzzlement on their face. Finally one youngster asked me what they were good for. A short explanation was given to her.

From time to time coins are purchased just for give aways here and other places. The smiles received are priceless.

Ken

atarian

months back i saw a kid buy a kit kat for 65 cents saw it was on sale 2 for a dollat and instead of getting 7 dimes i got 11. all silver. come to think of it i havent seen that kid since then. i guess he got into dads collection. hey i got my silver . and the store got its money and kid learned what else he could have broken off besides a kit kat bar

boiler78

I started typesets for my sons. I bring back a few coins from the shows I attend. They get to look at the coin then they have to learn about the issue, tell me what years it was minted who designed the coin and what the key date for the series is before they can add the coin to their albums.

I figure with a typeset they will inevitably find a favorite series or two to focus on and the process of collecting type should provide a good basic coin education.

cdwegner

My kids love Whitman folders... Adds some juice to searching through change.

majorbigtime

The driver of the rare coin market is the collector base. If youngsters don't enter the hobby, who will comprise the future collector base? If it is unpopulated, there will be no market!!

I have never been able to instill any interest in numismatics in my son, now 19. I'm working on children of several friends, and send them coins for Xmas. I've been known to give a coin as a baby gift (I include a note to the newborn saying that my gift will outlast "all that baby crap") as there's no better way to "start 'em young".

I believe dealers need to change their attitude about youngsters. Most won't give 'em the time of day. Big mistake!!

wingedliberty

Whatever you decide, fostering the hobby and lighting that numismatic spark for your kids is the best thing you can do for the hobby and it will also bring you lots of intangible rewards that cannot be put into words. Take the above suggestions and have fun!

jhar

My 3 year old loves to look at Daddy's Monies as she calls them. I cannot leave the coin shop with buying both of my girls a handfull of foriegn coins from the grab box.

Colorfulcoins

My 4 year old has some slabbed coins - a few PCGS Collector club and lunch specials. And she has some old worn out IHC's, silver washington, canadian loonies and 2'nies for some variety......and she constantly looses the unslabbed coins. But I have a worn out type set I've built (building) so that when she's ready, she can touch and feel all the different coins (silver, cooper, nickel, and gold).....least until she discovers boys!

cdwegner

I tell you guys, Whitmans are the way to go.