Young Numismatists
rooksmith
Posts: 972 ✭✭✭✭
As a collector, I have to wonder what ever happened to the Young Numismatists? I believe Numismatists arent born, they are created. If you are a young kid you need to learn to appreciate rarity and beutiy in coins. And of course if the coin markets were risint it might make it seem to be a profitable hobby as well.
Personally, one of the reasons I collect has to do more with a fond memory of being dirt poor and having a paperboy job, and finding the occasional silver coin in with the clads. I saved those coins in a cigar box and hid it away in a closet. Of course my younger brother found them, stole them and blew them on candy. But thats another story.
Nowadays people chauffeur their spoiled brat kids around to soccer games, and buy them i-phones. People poo-poo cash, and many people don't count their change or even look at it. I cant imagine a kid staring at a dime to see if it was a key date.
Where are the coin collectors of the future? You might want to think about putting some old buffalo nickels or even a Kennedy half dollar in their Christmas stockings on the mantle this year (do people still do this).
Comments
I got started with a Red Book and two Whitman Lincoln Cent folders PLUS an interest in history handed down to me from my mother. I also had some collecting instincts. I started hoarding a few of the new Lincoln Memorial Cents when they started appearing in the spring of 1959 before I got the Red Book as a Christmas gift from my uncle. I had read about them in "The Weekly Reader."
There are five or so young collectors in my local club. They are very interested, and their interest seems strong. Whether it lasts or not is another story.
For me, it was the bicentennial coins, and then the SBA dollar, during my formative years as a YN, that sparked my interest in coins. That, and getting a handful of junk silver, including a morgan and 3 peace dollars, from my grandparents, and then a few more handfuls after that, when the extended family learned I had an interest. I found wheat cents and the occasional silver coin in change, and quite a few half dollars from rolls at the bank. I was fortunate to participate in the metals spike in 1979-80 and was able to sell quite a bit of the silver and buy more difficult, older US type coins. Like many, I collected during elementary and junior high, but put the stuff away during high school and college while focused on other interests.
Fast forward to 1995, had been working a couple years and getting established with a home of my own, became interested in coins again, and finally had the disposable income to buy the kinds of coins I could only dream of as a child. The internet and especially Ebay and then later, this forum helped foster that interest, which still goes strong, with occasional breaks.
I'd think that there are A LOT of kids with state quarter albums that they'll be tucking away while they go to school, kids who witnessed the metals spike of 2011, who will someday return to coin collecting. Certainly not all kids collect, and only a percentage of those who do will return and become serious numismatists some day, but I do hold out hope and faith that the hobby will endure. Sure, it will evolve, and there will be a reckoning with the absolute glut of perfect moderns, but I'd think there will always be an interest in genuine old coins that actually circulated when our great country was young.
Liberty: Parent of Science & Industry
Rook I have to disagree with you slightly. While I agree coin collecting is an acquired taste, I would argue that people are actually born collectors and what they collect is influenced by early, hopefully positive experiences. As a dealer working in a B&M I talk to people coming in for the first time in decades and their stories often the same. Most were exposed to coin collecting as a child by a relative or friends and they collected until they were teenagers. At that point life gets in the way and they leave the hobby for 30+ years. Then after this long hiatus many have grown families, advanced careers and now have more disposable income and are in need of a hobby. They look back at their positive associations with the hobby and come back in to learn about things as they stand now. They buy their first Red Book in decades and explore the hobby in ways they could not decades ago.
Realistically this is a serious issue because late gen X, gen Y and early Millenials, children of 1970-1999 did not have anything remotely interesting to look for in their change. Money was fairly boring so if they wanted to collect, they had to more actively seek things out and spend money beyond the face value. On one hand this is not good for our industry in the short run. On the other hand, there is a big pool of YNs in development now that will be coming back in 15-20+ years to be the backbone of our hobby
I always saw youngsters at shows when I could attend them...actually saw lots of young adults as well.... sure, there was a preponderance of older males, however, that does not seem strange to me. As we age, our hobbies become both more affordable and more interesting. Not nearly as many distractions as when we were younger. People have been predicting the death of the hobby for years... it will not happen. Cheers, RickO
Posted this previously, but here it is again.
In the sixties I sold Sunday newspapers on the street corner.
Then I used my 'tips', which were actually very generous in those times, to stop and buy a half dozen "day old" donuts to surprise my mom with on Sunday morning.
I saved and saved and eventually had money for the B&M and bought my first silver bar, "San Diego Zoo".
I still have it.
Then I went to college and beyond. Married, made a family.
Worked, worked, made a career and in 2014 was ready to start again. With more money, numismatic education and desire.
The 'passion for coins' is not going away anytime soon.
Just my two cents.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
@1630Boston..... That is actually a very typical path for coin collectors.... some YN's stick with it ...not most - they take a break to pursue girls, sports, the military, families... then return later. Cheers, RickO
@ricko If you budget your time, you can accomplish many things simultaneously, I think.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
True, however, most younger people are not that disciplined... especially when it comes down to choices between the pursuit of thrills compared to the dedication numismatics requires. Cheers, RickO
@ricko
You may be correct.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
I'm equally convinced that collectors are born. Our challenge is to turn these people into numismatists.
Keeper of the VAM Catalog • Professional Coin Imaging • Prime Number Set • World Coins in Early America • British Trade Dollars
At almost 8yrs old my little brother still loves his ps4 but a couple of years ago I got him a silver pirate treasure chest that we add to when he comes to shows with me. He loves picking out new premium silver for it. He also has grown an appriation for Morgan toners so I got him his first one for Christmas. His favorite kind, a cameo target toner. He's gonna love it as he always asks for one at shows but they are generally too expensive especially after his silver purchases but he's ready for morgans as the chest is getting rather full. Here he is after a dealer friend of mine gave him a box of random stuff. He couldn't even wait to start going through it
Very cool!!!
HAPPY COLLECTING
I have always found if you want something to happen you have to be proactive. If you want more young people to collect coins you have to bring coin collecting into their world. I know there are several groups that currently promote coin collecting. Consider giving them a donation of time or money.
I live in the middle of nowhere's so there are very few local groups doing much. However, one group I know of, the Boy Scouts, offers a a merit badge in coin collecting. I have worked with their program for about 20 years. It only happens about every three years, but what they require is some Lincoln cents for the scouts to sort and identify. I think they have to find 50% of the 41 to 59 years to earn the badge. (Sorry not quite sure)
I let them go through some of the rolls I collected as a kid. (I mixed them up and also throw in some earlier date coins to make it more interesting. My rules are that they must have adult supervision. they must hold the coins by the edge. They must carefully put the coins back into rolls of 50. (I also allow the kids to keep one example of each date they can find, but that is not required: you can get all your coins back if you want.) I also throw in a few copies of Coin World and I gave them some old red books and ANA grade guides so they would have some reference tools.
I got involved because I answered an add in the paper. I don't know how you would find a scout troop in your area, or even that it has to be Boy Scouts. Perhaps Girl Scouts do something similar. I am sure people far smarter than I have some good ideas that just need some support. Food for thought anyway.
I would like to see dealers offer "junior" discounts to collectors under age 18.
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Debt
As I mentioned, I got into collecting coins through my dad. He kept them in an old Mason jar, and didnt know anything about it. Just a bunch of silver junk from the 30's. No rarities. But it FASCINATED me. When I was a paperboy around 1968, I had the bug. I collected any Franklins or Silver Quarters that didnt have much wear. But, while I was away in 'nam my brother broke into my footlocker and spent it all on candy and god only knows. By the way, anyone what to show me their Dong? I have a good collection of Ho's ..
One idea I ran by my favorite dealer was to announce in advace (like in the local paper, and posters) for anyone in town to check their change for some common, but unusual coin such as Buffalo Nickels. Then you would just take a roll and spend them locally in your town. Since all the kids would be interested, you would focus on places where they typically would buy stuff (video game shops, comic book stores, McDonalds). You slip them into the change one at a time so that the clerk doesnt notice. When they give them out, SOMEONE will notice. This would then cause a huge spike in interest in coin collecting. - You repeat the process with other coins and the local coin dealer goes on the news, etc,etc. Its a virtuous cycle.
There are probably a lot more YNs out there than you think.
My grandpa had a bunch of stuff pulled from circulation, and helped me put together a lincoln wheat tri-fold coin board when I was 8 or 9. I still have it. My 4 year old showed an early appreciation for the "rainbow" coins.
I got a silver war nickle in change about a month ago. It felt a bit light in my hand. That was the tipoff.
Take a peek at Instagram if anyone is on there. Huge coin collector population and a huge majority of them are under 18.
So cool!