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Creating New Numismatists
2Cent
Posts: 16
The goal of any hobby, and organization, is to bring in new members. Without an influx of new blood, any organization, any hobby, withers and dies. So how difficult is it to create a coin collector? How expensive is it? This is my experience from today:
I am involved with a local Boy Scout Troop -- about 20 boys between the ages of 12 and 16. I drove into town today and purchased twenty Whitman penny folders from Chuck Avery at Avery and Brooke here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I then went to the bank and purchased 40 rolls of pennies. At tonight's Boy Scout meeting I lined up the boys and handed them each a Whitman folder and two rolls of pennies. They all rushed back to their tables to open the rolls and began filling in the folders. "Cool!" was the most exciting word I heard. I told them to bring the albums back next week and whoever had theirs filled in the most would receive a prize. I'll certainly return to this post next week and let everyone know how this project has fared.
Cost? Chuck gave me a discount on the folders and I was able to purchase them in bulk for $2.50 each. Add to that the price of the two rolls of pennies -- $1.00. Total cost per kid -- $3.50. I paid for this out of my own pocket. If it's successful, I'm going to approach our local coin club with a plan to dramatically expand on this idea. There are all sorts of groups of youths (Scouts, Church, Sports, &c) who would be very receptive to this approach. The cost of nickels wouldn't be that much more if you wanted to "upgrade" depending on the ages of the youth.
So, let's say we have a long term success of 10%. Imagine how this hobby could grow!!
If everyone on this forum, if every coin club in the USA spent a couple hundred dollars a couple of times a year THINK of the number of new collectors. The bourse at the shows might not be so overpopulated with graying old men if this approach is successful and if it's copied. It is critical that each of us, on our own way, work to expand the number of collectors!
I'm eager to hear of similar experiences!
I am involved with a local Boy Scout Troop -- about 20 boys between the ages of 12 and 16. I drove into town today and purchased twenty Whitman penny folders from Chuck Avery at Avery and Brooke here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I then went to the bank and purchased 40 rolls of pennies. At tonight's Boy Scout meeting I lined up the boys and handed them each a Whitman folder and two rolls of pennies. They all rushed back to their tables to open the rolls and began filling in the folders. "Cool!" was the most exciting word I heard. I told them to bring the albums back next week and whoever had theirs filled in the most would receive a prize. I'll certainly return to this post next week and let everyone know how this project has fared.
Cost? Chuck gave me a discount on the folders and I was able to purchase them in bulk for $2.50 each. Add to that the price of the two rolls of pennies -- $1.00. Total cost per kid -- $3.50. I paid for this out of my own pocket. If it's successful, I'm going to approach our local coin club with a plan to dramatically expand on this idea. There are all sorts of groups of youths (Scouts, Church, Sports, &c) who would be very receptive to this approach. The cost of nickels wouldn't be that much more if you wanted to "upgrade" depending on the ages of the youth.
So, let's say we have a long term success of 10%. Imagine how this hobby could grow!!
If everyone on this forum, if every coin club in the USA spent a couple hundred dollars a couple of times a year THINK of the number of new collectors. The bourse at the shows might not be so overpopulated with graying old men if this approach is successful and if it's copied. It is critical that each of us, on our own way, work to expand the number of collectors!
I'm eager to hear of similar experiences!
IN GOD WE TRUST
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I give away money. I collect money.
I don’t love money . I do love the Lord God.
Nintendo, Wii, GameBoy, X-Box, I-Pod, MySpaces.com, U-Tube...there is no way Numismatics of today can compete with these....but if just 1 in 100 turns to coin collecting it is worth the time, money and effort.
Kudos!
"Keep your malarkey filter in good operating order" -Walter Breen
-Paul
edited to add: i'm one of the few people at coin shows that a) has hair or b) has hair and is a color other than grey. also, to turn on your pm, go to your profile and check the little box that says "accept pm's or private messages" or something like that.
An authorized PCGS dealer, and a contributor to the Red Book.
Chance favors the prepared mind.