Good Coin Book For a 10-Year Old?

Coinosaurus

My relatives are always trying to give away the books I've written to kids. Which would be great, except that these books aren't written for kids. Let's face it, reading certain parts of my books to kids is not really a good way to get them more interested in coin collecting. Can the crowd come up with a some better suggestions? The plan is to go get a case of the right book so that I can give them away WITH my book (which they can enjoy when they are a little older).

llafoe

I grew up on the Red Book... if it was good enough for me in the 1960s/70s, it should be good enough for today's hoodlums too!

RYK

Red Book

Onedollarnohollar

What's a book? You do mean CD or APP don't you?

keyman64

Red Book

Moldnut

Don’t know if I'm correct but I would think kids would get bored with facts and figures. Maybe they would be more interested in coin stories, something like “Tales from the Bourse”.

LanceNewmanOCC

<< <i>Red Book >>


+1
.

magikbilly

You get that many comp books when you publish? I do not with my work! Hmmm...

I would look on amazon for something written in the 50's or 60's for kids and dads (or moms). That's just me.

Eric

TwoSides2aCoin

The Cherry Picker's Guide is not too bad. (2 volume) It may give him a deeper understanding of where FOCUS begins and value starts. Grading is imperative while learning is rudimentary and variety is the spice of life in the coin world. So many ways to go... " How to inspire " a person is my question. Some people have no passion while it burns inside of others. I got inspired by the red book, but didn't wake up until focus came into play. And varieties / errors / anomalies have inspired me throughout the years.

Great question. I wish I knew how to ask them. I have so many still.

LanceNewmanOCC

.
i just want to add, NOTHING will beat sitting down and talking about the stuff. one of the biggest challenges in life i've had with getting into certain things is having someone just sit down and take the time to talk about stuff, not even necessarily all that intellectual, just basic conversation to stimulate and feed the interest. some basic guidance, you know?

asking someone if they have any questions often times is nice but ineffective as someone may not even know what questions to ask at first.
.

magikbilly

How to inspire a person is my question - my answer - application!

My dad could care less when I was 10 - until he saw me buy Morgans from old guys on our block for about $10 ea and then run to the local B&M and sell them for $60 and $70 each. I was picking gem Mercs from huge batches for $5 each from a dealer who did not think much of the new grading. I was reselling them for $40 to $60. Who knows what they grade now. I do wish this process happened in reverse with my dad showing me, but you take what you can get. I'd have also liked it to be about the art, or collecting, or fun, not $$$. That is probably my fault. The fleeting and not repeated feeling of my dad being proud - thats not the right word - impressed? I dunno, but I liked it a lot. Much more than $$$. My dad is gone now, I collect several different things of great interest to me, I have enjoyed my work over the last 15 years (now I am 44) and I have a young intelligent protege to whom I can pass what I have learned over the years and from hanging in places like this with ears open.
It's a good hobby.

Eric

Edit for spelling.

coachbedford

"Uncovered: The Lost Coins of Early America"

He'll learn about early American history AND coins.

Unknown

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droopyd

"100 Greatest Coins" or something along those lines. Lots of neat historical information abou the coins and the times in which they were produced, and stunning photography.

jmski52

You should check in with Gritsman. He's done a couple of kid's novels written around coins.

lkeigwin

<< <i>Don’t know if I'm correct but I would think kids would get bored with facts and figures. Maybe they would be more interested in coin stories, something like “Tales from the Bourse”. >>


I agree. The Red Book comes later.

Maybe Coin Collecting for Kids?
Lance.

messydesk

If the motivation is to get them interested in coin collecting, sending them off with a book won't do it. The book must go hand-in-hand with some personal mentoring. At the "getting them interested" stage, Coin Collecting for Kids is probably a good one. As soon as they're at the "interested" stage, the Red Book is fun to look at.

derryb

100 Greatest Error Coins

rare coins are somethings kids can only read about. error coins are something they can actually look for using available resources. shows that checking pocket change can be rewarding and doesn't require "buying" coins

mrearlygold

Uncle Eric's Series
Richard Maybury's Uncle Eric Series

nwcoast

I have an old Golden Book called Coins and Coin Collecting: an Introduction to coins , currency and collecting. By Seymour Reit and illustrated by W.T. Mars.
Published in 1965 with my newer edition from 1970, if the kid were't too jaded by the glitz of modern technology, i should think this book really great. It full of stories on the history of coins world wide, Pirate coins, animal themes, Ancients and more.

Maybe the hand painted illustrations might not click with kids of today but looking at the book even now and I'm thinking it's pretty good and full of cool stories, pictures and history- if a bit dated- it's still cool from my point of view!

But what do I know? This book is from when I was a kid!
I'm hoping to pass it along to Grand kids if that day ever arrives... Otherwise I'd send it to ya...

You might be able to track one down through any number of used book sellers- Abebooks comes to mind immediately though there are others.

Dentuck

Give these two a gander. They're written for grownups, but they're
very accessible for a smart, interested kid --- they capture the
romance, history, and artistry of coins, but they also appeal to
the "treasure hunter" fascination that boys in particular often have.
Plus they have tons of colorful images to occupy the eye while
the brainpan is being filled with book-learnin'.

crypto79

a salted bag of coins and a red book either does the trick or it doesn't in my experience, A collector has to have the cataloging and hoarding Genes and a reference book will uncover that. You can try to back door that approach with a Treasure Book but that I have always felt the trophy & historical aspect of the hobby were secondary traits of the hobby and not core ones.

I personally would recommend Rose's book on Chopmarks for the little kid inside the rest of us.

CyStater

My four-year old has his own 2013 Red Book compliments of cashing in my Teletrade points. He literally sleeps with it some nights.

jmj3esq

Definately the Red Book.

fastfreddie

If you could come up with an app. that was interactive and resembled a game of some kind while teaching the basics it might get their attention.

I know from personal experience that if it isn't something they can play on an I-pad they won't read it.

illini420

I agree that the Red Book has the most bang for the buck and is fine for a 10 year old. If they are into coins, they will read it and love it. Once you know if they have more of an interest in a specific series, then the Official Red Book Guides to the various coins aren't too bad and are pretty inexpensive.

Eagleguy

If you want something less generic that relates to a series a kid would be able to collect and complete, perhaps something like "A Pocketful of History: Four Hundred Years of America-One State Quarter at a Time" by Jim Noles or "American's Beautiful National Parks: A Handbook for Collecting the New National Park Quarters" by Aaron McKeon.

JH

Senex

Red Book hands down!

kevinj

In 2000, I wrote "Those Amazing Coins, A Kid's Guide to Collecting" with my daughter and Ron Volpe, written specifically for kids, with several sections written by kids.
In 2011, I wrote "Coin Collecting for the Next Generation", a guide for show organizers, dealers, parents on how to get kids involved.
Included in this are several sections by some of the leading experts/leaders in the hobby who are dedicated to getting kids involved.

I am currently working on
Coins in the Classroom - for teachers - how to use coins in the classroom
Error Coins for Kids - A fun kids perspective on collecting cool error coins.

The following are different web sites that are useful for finding information to help kids.

American Numismatic Association (ANA) www.money.org
American Numismatic Society (ANS) www.numismatics.org
United States Mint www.usmint.gov
U.S. Mint HIP Program www.usmint.com/kids
Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG) www.pngdealers.com
Ocean County Coin Club (OCCC) www.occoinclub.org
Garden State Numismatic Association www.gsna.org
Florida United Numismatists (FUN) www.funtopics.com
Central States Numismatic Society (CSNA) www.centralstates.info
Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association (PNNA) www.pnna.org
Georgia Numismatic Association (GNA) www.gamoney.org
Numismatic Association of Southern California (NASC) www.nasc.net
Heritage Auctions www.ha.com
Kids Coin World kidscoinworld.com
Central Florida Coin Club www.centralfloridacoinclub.org
Tidewater Coin Club www.tidewatercoinclub.org/yn-corner.html
Royal Canadian Numismatic Association
canadian-numismatic.org/coinkids.php
Pennsylvania Numismatic Association Coins4Kids
www.pancoins.org/Coins4Kids/index.html

Kevin

keyman64

A couple of days ago I replied in this thread with "Red Book."

I stopped back by in this thread to see what others suggested.

I am surprised to see some people suggest that the Red Book is just facts and figures. A little background...I was 8 when my father gave me his collection of mostly Mercury Dimes, several FILLED Whitman folders, more than 10...all were minus the 16-D. Also was a folder of almost full V-nickels. I wanted to learn more so my mom took me to a coin shop in Tampa, FL...The Gilder Shop. They were very nice to me. They told me a bit about the stuff I had, the better dates, the better conditions etc. The store owner then GAVE to me his used copy of The Red Book that was just a couple of years old. I read that book cover to cover several times over the next 7 years or so. That Red Book inspired several dreams for me year after year...and several more trips to the coin shop.

Granted, I am much more analytical than most as I started computer programming when I was 5 and was trading stocks at age 12. Even with this though, the photos and the broad subject matter in the Red Book is great!

I do not suggest just stopping at the Red Book but geeeez, it sure is a great starting point. For the kids that are more visual, maybe combining the Red Book with the 100 Greatest US Coins would be a good idea. Certainly there are other good suggestions here but you can't go wrong with the Red Book. At times, the child will be given a proof set, mint set, find an older coin in pocket change....where is the child going to look that stuff up.....The Red Book!

Onedollarnohollar

<< <i>I started computer programming when I was 5 and was trading stocks at age 12. >>



What took you so long? I was watching TV programming at one month old and trading baseball cards at five.

Back to the subject at hand.....most kids are on their computers, tablets, and cell phones 24/7....books are becoming a novelty....this is an "instant gratification" world of technology.

If there is an app or program that exists geared for young or just new-to-the-hobby collectors that is where they'll get their information and interest from. JMHO

Of course I'm an old guy so the Redbooks, the CPG's, etc. are great for me. I'm not exactly a technology geek.

lordmarcovan

I started at age ten, with an old Black book.

I'd say the Red Book is as good a place as any for a ten-year-old to start, at least in US coins.

Don't worry about it going over their heads. I think most will "get it". The language used in there is pretty straightforward, and the book explains itself well. It was good to begin with, but has improved greatly in its evolution over the last sixty-odd years.

BillJones

Red Book

I received my first one with I was 10 years old. Here is is.

Dentuck

I still have my first Red Book, too. Every year when I was a kid I would save up enough money
and give it to my Dad so he would write a check to Virg Marshall when the new edition came out.
Good times!

Strat

When I was 11, I started out with a Blue Book, then graduated to a Red Book, which I found fascinating because it had so many 'stories' about coins, even colonials and territorials and...okay you get the idea. I also loved to look at old Bowers and Ruddy auction catalogs back then too...still do!