Coin Collecting Supplies for Kids - Getting Them Started
Twenty years ago, as a pre-teen, I was given the cigar box full of coins that was the start of my collection. I knew right then that I was going to keep collecting for a long time, but I didn't know how to collect or even what someone did with a coin collection. I mostly kept quiet about it as the only collector in my family (that I knew of) so for the first couple years I just looked through pocket change to find interesting additions and kept them in a plastic bag.It was years later when I realized that this is a pretty bad way to store my coins. I would have spent the relatively small amount of money protecting the collection if I had know that there were coin collecting supplies for kids. Well - they're not designed specifically for kids but they are inexpensive tools to help anyone (including kids) make their collection more accessible.
Understanding Why Kids Start Collecting Coin
So, what makes a child want to start a collection anyway? For many like me, it's happening upon a different looking coin that captures your attention. This gets them asking questions and first realizing that coins might be worth more money than just spending them and then seeing that there are many types of coins from each country. Most kids are encouraged to keep learning when parents listen to their questions and answer as well as they can. Their collection becomes something special - something that has value and is worth holding onto. Their collection becomes something that only they have whether or not it has much intrinsic value. It becomes something they can show off and talk about when others show interest.
What Does a Kid's Coin Collection Even Look Like?
Bags of Coins
This is where it gets hard for parents, relatives, or family friends if they aren't coin collectors themselves. What does a collection look like that's not made of silver and gold and stored in a safe deposit box somewhere? Most likely, it's in a plastic sandwich bag or little cardboard box and outwardly looks like some random pocket change that you wouldn't look twice at. If (like me) it was given to them by someone close, it could be in a cigar box or bank bag if it is old enough. Either way, the coins are likely to be special to them. Each piece has a special meaning that makes it far more important than the few cents that it is probably worth to grownups.
Getting Them on the Right Path
The best way to encourage your young collector is to engage them. Ask them to tell you why each piece is important to them and listen to the types of answers they give you. They might say "I like having a place to look at all the different types of coins", "I really like the look of this one", "I'm trying to get all the years that this coin was made", "my best friend gave me this and said it was really special", or "these are all the same but it's hard to find them, so I'm keeping every one that I get".Each of these responses is related to a different way that people tend to collect and each of them has a different name. For the kid that likes having each of the different types of coins - that's called "type sets". Someone that likes coins that look different from all the others collects "varieties" or "errors". Trying to get as many years and mint marks as you can is generally what people mean when they say collecting coins but it is also called "checklist" collecting. There isn't typically a name for saving coins from events but I personally call it memento collecting. Finally, collecting all of a specific type of coins that you can is generally called "stacking" (used to be called hoarding but that term has changed meaning with shows that are on TV lately).Once you understand why and what they're trying to do with their collection, you can help them move it in the right direction - even without knowing much about the hobby yourself.
Deciding How to Work on the Collection
There are different ways to get your kid started organizing their collection based on their collecting style and the helpful supplies for each.
Checklist collecting: This is probably the most common way people collected in the past and is usually easy to start. The common tools for this type of collecting are folders with pre-cut locations for each year and mint mark (small letter somewhere on the coin that tells collectors where the coin was made) and can be accompanied by a small notebook that you can check off the coins you have and can easily carry. Companies like Whitman Publishing have been making "blue books" for a very long time - I have some in my collection that were printed in 1940 and other companies have started to make them with pictures of coins on the covers or with green shiny paper. The prices for these are generally quite low but depending on the style and quality can get more pricey quickly.
Variety / error and memento: When you find coins that are unique for some reason (gift from a family member, big intriguing mark on the side, coin was stamped twice, and so on), it can be hard to remember why you saved that specific coin. For this type of collecting you can use little cardboard and cellophane individual coin holders called 2 by 2's (the cardboard is 2" by 2") that fold around the coin and can be stapled closed without damaging the coin. The benefit of these is that you can write on the cardboard exactly why that coin is special to you and for future memories.
Type sets: Type set collecting is best held with either the 2 by 2's previously mentioned or the easily displayed and handled type set folder. The same companies make these and the folding checklist collection folders and there are also higher end (and higher price) folders like the Dansco 7070 that are designed to hold 1 each of the different types of coins that have been minted in the past century or two.
Stacking: Since the intent of stacking is to hold a large volume of preferred coins, the best bet with this type of collecting is either coin rolls (paper bank rolls or archival plastic sleeves) or bags. This storage method doesn't protect the coins from damage but the intent of this type collecting generally isn't to have high grade (near perfect) coins presented for easy viewing.
Helping Them Get Started
Now that you're armed with a bit of background on the general types of collecting and the supplies available to collectors, it will be easier to talk with your young collector about how they want to keep collecting. Folders are generally a few dollars for the basic tri fold and progress quickly when you move to archival quality (probably too high quality for a starting collector). 2 by 2's are generally sold in packs of 25, 50, or 100 and cost a few bucks per pack - you will also want to have either a box or 3 ring binder pages to store them in once assembled. Type folders do cost a little more than other folders and can be found for about $10. You're most likely to find archival quality type folders that are the most expensive of the supplies I've mentioned at around $25. If that's more than you're ready to spend - just stick to the 2 by 2's which store the coins safely and can be organized in the same way for ready access.Walk the kid through pictures of the different coin collecting supplies after deciding what you're comfortable spending or what they would be able to afford with their savings (but not out of their collection!) to help them make their collection more enjoyable.