Trying to get the nephews & grandkids into coins
Stingray63
Posts: 299 ✭✭✭
Anyone else in this same situation? I thought when my time comes I'd be passing my coins down thru the family and find joy in my nephews and grandkids being excited and looking forward to inheriting them one day. They are of high school and the later years of college age and absolutely have no interest or appreciation for them. If it's not some kind of digital or electronic game they couldn't care less. Curious what plans or thoughts those retired or approaching retirement age have for their coins.
Pocket Change Inspector
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I have 3 kids in their early 20s who have no interest in coins. One is an engineer, one is a Physician's Asst, and one is studying engineering in college. They could care less. There is a nephew who has slight interest and I have been giving him some of the common low value stuff, but he seems to be more of an accumulator/hoarder than a collector
My plan is to sell off the collection and give the kids the money. I'll be able to get more for it than they would, especially some of the more eclectic specialties like CWTs, German Notgeld, and Canadian Breton/Colonial tokens.
Yes, it's a disappointment than the aren't interested. I started collecting when I was 6. But everyone has their interests and preferences.
If they have no interest now that will probably continue into the future. I tried to get my niece and nephew interested in coins and gave them coin gifts from the time they were born. I didn't work. Both of them asked me to sell all the coins they had when they got to be around 20.
I have to agree. I don't think that lack of interest with them is going to change and coming to terms with that. I'll give or leave each of them one of my gold $2.5 Indians and most likely sell the rest of my collection at some point. Kind of sad as I still have coins (Morgans , Barber coins, and Indian cents) my grandparents gave me as kid. I'm sure not all was just pocket change for them either.
Pocket Change Inspector
No interest in my family.
Ideally, I would like to sell all my collectible coins, with the exception of a few certified, easy to liquidate, key date coins.
I will pass on to my heir(s), my easy to liquidate "junk" silver, bullion silver, and gold.
The rest of the proceeds from my collection sale, will either be passed on in cash, or additional bullion purchased from the sale of my collection.
Now, all I have to do is get off my lazy butt and start selling. Hopefully I won't be dead of old age before I get around to it.
The hard part for me might be letting go of some that have sentimental value from being past down. They'll go last but since the kids have no interest maybe when the time comes I'll find someone who does appreciate them.
Pocket Change Inspector
I agree with you to sell your coins while you can. This way you will achieve maximum value and be able to control them so they don't end up as a bank deposit😯.
Also, it gives you the opportunity to handle them one last time which will bring back great memories of why you bought them or found them in the first place!
I am in the same situation with my W quarters collection and my plan is to sell every last one before I die😎
Remember, we are merely caretakers of these coins. We should try to keep them in the condition that we received them in, so others n the future may enjoy them. Even if passed on to your heirs, these coins will eventually be sold to, or obtained by future collectors. Nothing can be kept forever.
I started 2 of my grandson's with wheat penny folders filled from 1941 thru 1958. Thought this might get them at least interested in continuing modern, but did not work. I doubt either can tell me where they are 5 years later. Just did not click.
Best of luck.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
I'm in the same boat, I was born in the early 1950's so you can do the math
. I have three grandchildren that show zero interest and a collection of coins that dates back my childhood. I got a rude awakening recently when I shopped around a box of uncertified Morgans in the Tampa area. These were very nice " collectable " coins in mostly ms-60 to ms 63 and a few better. Most were commons and the average Numismedia price came out to about 90 dollars each. I couldn't find anyone who would give me more than 2.00 over spot. I asked what if these coins were slabbed and one dealer said he could do $5.00 over spot. One dealer told me outright that in the last 5-6 years no one has come into his shop looking for " collectable " coins. If can't sell Morgans for more than scrap, what am I going to do with the boxes and boxes of large cents , indians , quarters etc. I'm really kind of bummed out right now.
Lordmarcovan, WTCG, YogiBerraFan, Phoenin21, LindeDad, Coll3ctor, blue594, robkoll, Mike Dixon, BloodMan, Flakthat and others.
To be honest I am just glad I have hobbies that get me threw day by day and year by year and make me happy. What happens once I am gone is not something I worry about at all. I am having fun and that is the main part in a hobby.
There are alot of people interested in coins.
But as a percentage of the population?
Almost everyone will never be interested in coins one tiny bit.
Combine that to specific areas we may collect and that drops it even lower. The internet and coin shows are places to be as a collector to talk about coins.
I am inventorying as I go. At 65, the time draws near. Leaving specific instructions for
my wife on the coins, BB cards, and other items. The coin books have started their
departure, as well as some of the BB cards. Hard to let go of the coins.
My 5 yr old grandchild is starting to show a big interest in my coins.
AS she passes a vending machine she asks me for quarters.
No one in my family has any interest in coins now... One of my nephews did when he was young - not now. Perhaps in later years, his interest will return. I probably will sell a few if opportunity arises.... Not actively shopping any around. I am certainly not a youngster any longer... However, I am super active, busy every day. No time for gloomy thoughts. Cheers, RickO
That ship has long sailed. Even if they had an interest what are they going to find in today's pocket change. I filled my first
folder in the late 1950's when you could still find almost every coin in your mothers and fathers pocket change. It was an
adventure every time you found a handful of coins to look thru. My grandkids come to visit and they sit on the couch with their heads buried in their ipads. I gave them some silver dollars that were a hundred years old. They thought they were " funny" looking. Oh well.
Lordmarcovan, WTCG, YogiBerraFan, Phoenin21, LindeDad, Coll3ctor, blue594, robkoll, Mike Dixon, BloodMan, Flakthat and others.
Of my 3 kids 2 definitely have a collector gene. They will collect anything. My 7 yr old son go in streaks of collecting coins. However, there are so many options and kids have such crazy schedules now that having time to actually learn how to grade, authenticate etc is just not there. Basically there are a ton of things that are much more exciting for kids to do. Sometimes I actually wish I didn't love coin collecting, I am still in my early 40s and likely have another 30+ years of collecting. I imagine that in 30 years when I go to sell everything there will be no one in my family that has an interest. Hopefully other people still will have an interest.
My biggest reason for not pushing coins a bit harder with my kids is that I fear fakes are going to ruin the lower end of this hobby. I see these fakes that are passing PCGS and think to myself no way would these get caught as low grade album coins.
No surprise. Schools don't even teach history any more.
Thomas Jefferson ? .... Who he? Have a band?
Give a kid, or a young adult, a Morgan Dollar from the 1880's, and explain that it was an old west coin. The seed will be planted and may grow. Interest can't be forced, but it can grow if exposed...
Take a kid to a coin shop and let him see you SELL a coin and get MONEY!
That might do it.
If that doesn't work, either ground the kid or take him to the coin shop like above and give the money to ANOTHER kid!
That's exactly what my Great Uncle did for me in 1958. He gave me a shiny 1884 O Morgan and I was hooked from that day on.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
I'm in the same boat. My children aren't that interested in learning about collecting.
My 6 year old son loves coins as long as they are gold or colorful toned examples. Every once in a while I will give him one of those modern golden dollars or a nicely toned raw coin and he will evaluate it for a while and run to put it in his collection. I am sure once he figures out those golden dollars aren't really gold he will spend them all on candy and toys.
Been there tried that. After giving my 2 7 year old grandsons a couple of 100 year old silver dollars, their response was that they were funny looking. Then I tried the old west cowboy and Indian routine on them, they just shrugged their shoulders and kept playing their video game.
Lordmarcovan, WTCG, YogiBerraFan, Phoenin21, LindeDad, Coll3ctor, blue594, robkoll, Mike Dixon, BloodMan, Flakthat and others.
Bobsav. Perhaps the Disney coins. There’s also Spider-Man. One of the things my YN likes are the pandas, funnel web spider and the crocodile Australian coins.
I know for sure that Pokémon cards also have coins ( plastic).
Just keep trying. 😉🙀🦫
Something else I do are giveaways. I involve him in the drawing and explain why I would give such nice coins. He understood really quickly when I explained gratitude. I am thankful for most everyone here. It’s my way of saying. Bless you and thank you for sharing your knowledge for free. 😎
🎶 shout shout, let it all out 🎶
I’m going to start soon with my grandsons. The oldest is just 6–so I have about another year or so to wait; the younger one another 3 or so years.
My thoughts are if they have shown no interest by the age of High School or late College then they just won't have any interest at all. I tried and failed simply because I knew too much about coins and not enough about my own children.
I bought a sheet of $1 Notes from the BPE, cut it in half and presented one half to one son and the other half to the other son.
The oldest, cut them up and spent them and the youngest still has his. He hangs on to the stuff I give him but but it's only because I gave it to him. Certainly not because he wants to collect.
Give your children room to grow. They see what you do but they simply have no appreciation of it at this point in time.
JMO
The name is LEE!
I was first introduced to collecting with Wheat Penny folders and a jar of cents that me and my brothers went thru. It was fun at the time but I had no resources other than that jar of cents.
When I hit my early 20's, I got back into collecting (1971-1975). Had a couple of US Mint accounts. Chased Eisenhower Dollars and the 1975 Proof set because the San Francisco Mint stop producing cents for business.
That phase died out with only spotty appearances. In 2000, I got back into it full swing.
The point being, introducing children to coin collecting should only be viewed as planting a seed. That seed may take years if not decades to grow or, it may not grow at all.
An seriously, are you that eager to get them into this high dollar hobby that takes so much time and produces so much frustration?
The name is LEE!
Yes, seriously, I would feel a great hobby that I personally had so much fun with for 60 odd years would be available to them also and you may be right, may never happen. Different strokes for different folks.
There is also the issue of what if in the near future there are no new coins, only paper notes and not even certificates. Soon only the super wealthy would be able to even own a simple Capped Bust half because there soon would be a very limited supply of collectible coins.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
My daughters are somewhat interested but my boys have no interest. The worst is when your friends or other adults think you're crazy, wasting your time or make fun of you for it.
I gave my niece and nephew wheat folders, along with several rolls of "unsearched" cents. (I actually had seeded them so that they would find coins from all of the decades.) Zero interest.
I worked with my youngest daughter on a Dansco 7077 in well-circulated grades. She had some mild interest in her tween years, but is now in her 20's and that has long evaporated.
I'd love to leave my collection as a legacy, but I'm also glad it is a relatively liquid asset for my heirs. Better than Beanie Babies - at least I hope so! ;-)
I took my two sons to coin shows when they were in elementary school; gave them coin folders to fill from loose change (i.e. State Quarter Albums), showed them MS Morgan dollars and a variety of classic US coins; and gave them gifts of completed proof and MS Franklin half dollars.
Neither one of my sons has any interest at all in coins or the hobby.
It is what it is and I am ok with it. My collection will be sold long before I take a dirt nap.
I have been able to get my sons (<6) to fill paper rolls of circ Kennedy's and they love looking at the dates and reading the numbers. They really like the the larger volume of coins. At their age just getting them to interact with coins in this way has been the most successful. Sorting the coins by date works well, and the Kennedy's large enough that no one needs a ten power. However, I try to plug the microscope into the TV via HDMI every so often and let them see the it on the big screen. That really works well because we can make up stories about the blemishes on them. I think for us, it's more about "treasure hunting" than anything.
cascadecoins.com , Cascade Coins eBay Items , buffalonickelclub.org
I started out with trading cards and comic books. I liked collecting things when I was a kid. I didn’t get involved with coins until sometime in my twenties. You can have many hobbies during your life. If you collect things maybe one day it will be coins
Coins are boring pieces of metal and the hobby is incredibly complex. Comics you can read. Cards you can open packs. Magic and Pokémon you can play a game.
I believe the way to get people involved now is through stacking. Once they know silver and gold have value then they can branch out into numismatic pursuits