I started coin collecting at a very young age and it has provided many hours of pleasure. Starting your youngster or grandchild in coin collecting can also lead them to a life-long enjoyable hobby. Some coins sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and even millions of dollars. But starting a child on collecting Jefferson Nickels does not need to be expensive.

You may be asking yourself, is coin collecting for kids? The answer is positively! Coin collecting can illustrate value life skills such as investigation, organization and history. And once a youngster begins to become aware of that some coins, even those found in circulation have a value beyond face value, they will want to learn more about them.

Starting a young child is more than just pointing them in the right direction. If you want this to be successful, you as the adult will have to show them the exhilaration that one can get from collecting coins. And if you are not already a collector, you just may learn something in the process and become captivated yourself. Doing this with your very young person requires no special skills other than even temper.

Many folks think that coin collecting is a nerdy hobby. They could not be more wrong. Coin collecting is a huge industry. Coin collectors are all over. Perhaps your parents and/or grandparents collected coins. Coin Collecting is a huge industry. Millions of people collect coins. You do not often hear about it for good reason though. The last thing you want to do is let the world know you collect coins as that can attract the villainous element. For this story, we are concentrating on the enjoyment part of collecting. The tips in this paper will not make you worth a million. And while the collection we will talk about in this story may not be worth a lot of dough, it is best to engage in good security measures right from the beginning. Here are some good guidelines

1. Do not keep coins in plain sight. Keep in drawers or stored away when not in use.
2.Talk to your child about not talking about coin collecting at school
3. If the child loses passion, put them in a safe deposit box in case the child regains passion
4. Coins are easy to make off with and are usually one of the first things thieves will take if they see them.

So, how do you get started? Since we are talking about young children, we do not want to spend a lot of money. In one of my other articles, I focus on Lincoln Cent Collecting. In this write-up we are going to concentrate on Jefferson Nickels. Jefferson Nickels hold up well in circulation and it is not uncommon to find 60 year old coins still in circulation. To get started, you will need to buy two simple Whitman Folders. The first folder will be the folder with the dates 1968 through 1961. The 2nd folder will be from 1962 thought 1995. If you want, you can get folder #3 which is 1996 through present. It will contain holes for the Westward Journey series and dates through 2009, depending on when the folder was constructed. The remaining holes will be blank. With these two folders, your maturing coin collector will be able to take almost any coin from circulation and fill hole. You can find these at most Barnes and Noble , or any coin store. If you live in a metro area, you likely have a coin store nearby; just consult your yellow pages.

Now before getting starting, you will need to sit with your kid and tell them you and the kid are going to work together on a hobby. The purpose for the child is that you and the child are working together on a common goal. Filling a coin folder is just like completing a puzzle. You just have to find the right pieces.

Since we are focusing on Jefferson Nickels, you will want to tell the beginning collector some history on the Jefferson Nickel. For example, during 1942 through 1945, they were made with a silver composition, or that they are called nickels, because it is made out of a nickel alloy. You will also need to explain about the three different mints used to produce cents and where the Mint mark is. Be sure to talk about the history of Jefferson, etc. You can easily tie history into Jefferson Nickel collecting.

Now that you have your folders, you know doubt have a few dozen nickels around the house, or maybe the child’s piggy bank. Gather them up and see how many holes you can fill. If you have more than one kid, each kid should have their own folders to see who can fill them up first. You may have to help your youngster with putting in some of the coins. Be sure to show them how to correctly handle a coin. While these are likely only worth face value, better to begin now.

Once you have used up your home supply of nickels, you can take it a step further. If you are really up for a colossal challenge, go to the bank and get several rolls of pennies. Sometimes retail stores like grocery stores will also sell you a few rolls. But if you are up for a super colossal challenge, go to the bank and buy a box of nickels for $100.00. What a great family activity for a rainy or cold snowy day. What does not go into the folders you can re-roll and spend at the vending machine at work.

One thing your coin collector(s) will notice is that they will see many dates and Mint Marks over and over. You can explain that in any given year, the mintages of cents varied for an assortment of reasons. They will also come to know that there are many dates that are not all that common. The coin folder will likely have the total mintages for each coin and mint. Certainly many of the Jefferson Nickels will not be found in circulation all that often, such as the Silver War Nickels, and many pre 1950 nickels (and the 1950-D). But imagine the potential pleasure a kid may have if they find a silver nickel. Speaking from experience, if you buy a box of nickels, you will likely come across many coins from the 40’s and 50’s, and maybe even a war nickel. They are still in circulation. As your collector comes across repeated dates, you can talk to the promising collector about the condition of the coins. If you find a coin that is nicer than the one in the folder, you can replace it.

After several afternoons/evenings of filling holes in your folder, the child may become engrossed in the older nickels, or even Buffalo Nickels. Since you will not likely find them in circulation, a trip to the coin store may be in order. If you get to this point, you may very well have a coin collector in the making.

Coin Articles.com is a great place to learn more about
Coin Collecting and Numismatics. 
Please visit coin-articles to read
coin book reviews and to learn more about coin collecting

Author: CoinArticles

This author has published 2 articles so far. More info about the author is coming soon.