I've been meeting with a group of Boy Scouts to help them earn the Coin Collecting merit badge. I even made a huge power point presentation with pictures of things I could not show them from my own collection (some of you have early copies of this presentation; however, it has become so large I can no longer email it). At first, I assumed the majority of Scouts were going to be there simply to add an easy merit badge to their sashes, but not take any interest in pursuing the hobby. It didn't bother me. The purpose of merit badges is to "introduce Scouts to vocations, avocations, and hobbies," not to brainwash them into liking the same things we like. To my surprise, last night, at our third meeting, I realized that four of the eight Scouts are taking up the hobby!
I taught that merit badge as a scoutmaster several times in the past. It was received with mixed reviews. You know that ANA has a kit, including visual aids, to help teach the merit badge, don't you? You just need to write them and ask for it.
The coin collecting merit badge has been around for a while. It was my second of two merit badges, my first was the stamp collecting merit badge. Around 1961 I think, but it started me on a lifetime hobby. Koop up the geed work!
Designed the merit badge? Good heavens, no. It has been in existence since the 1930s. Boy Scouts of America national headquarters has a committee which oversees the merit badge program; it is NOT ad hoc, or up to the merit badge counselor. It's a tightly regulated program, with over 130 merit badges available for the Scouts to earn. Each has a guidebook with specific requirements that the Scout must meet before being awarded the badge. As a counselor, I'm responsible for teaching, guiding, and mentoring the Scouts, but they do all the work.
Here is a link to the Merit Badge and the requirements: http://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Coin_Collecting
Hey mac266- I have a 1909s vdb cent which was recently returned to me by pcgs as counterfeit. I have been wondering what would be a good use for this coin and did not want it back in the marketplace. Would something like this be helpful to your presentation? It was the pursuit of a merit badge which sparked my interest in coins back in the early 70's. That same pursuit also led to a great working relationship between my parents and a local coin dealer which years later has been very profitable for myself and my siblings. Seems like a small way to pay it forward to the next gen. Please contact me if I can send you this coin. Thanks
Oh, so this is the coin collecting merit badge. Sorry, my bad! I was never a scout. I had no idea about the scout merit badge system. Thanks for that link @GoldBug999 !
You know, I introduce them to detecting counterfeits, but I don't have any examples to show them. For the merit badge, they are introduced to important aspects of coin collecting, but they do not become experts. I hit "buy the book before the coin" pretty hard, and encourage them to learn a coin series in depth before moving on to another one. So, I suppose it would be great to have an example to show them! Of course, that means I'll have to buy a genuine one and pop out my digital microscope to compare them. It could be a fun exercise!
The funny thing is, I live within driving distance of the ANA. We're using a visit to their Money Museum for requirement #10. However, when I signed up to be a counselor several years ago, I didn't know they had that available, so I came up with my own presentation. Now I'm rather attached to it
Great job! I believe you are doing a great service to our young generations by donating your time to scouts, and teaching them about our great hobby. I was a scout as a youngster, (I made the rank of Life Scout), and now with many children of my own, I stand up and applaud your work! Thank you.
Can you PM me , I'd love you to have this coin for instructional purposes. Unfortunately, I can't provide a genuine example for comparison purposes.
