Ok guys, I have decided to found a coin club. Its a big step for me. I decided to do this mainly because if there was a coin club near me (the closest one is 45 min away) I would have been inspired to collect coins many years ago. Ive already got my local library to give me time and space to do the coin club but... I really don't have much to teach the kids or give to the kids. This is kind of weird but if anyone wants to donate some maybe junk silver that you are having a hard time selling, some errors to show the kids or if you really want to cash. Im not expecting any one to donate a lot, or even anything, but anything would be appricaited. Also post in the comments below what I could start my first "lesson" with! Anyone who would wish to donate please pm me and thank you everyone, I love this site and people on it
Got any rolls of wheat pennies laying around? How about "The Evolution of the Lincoln Cent" start with current designs and work your way backwards with discussions on gov't ideas to stop production of the penny, the different designs, composition, the VDB initials removal in 1909, the matte proof vs. mirror proofs, the doubled dies, etc.
Nice idea, and I commend you for the effort. However, you would need more of a plan than "I'm starting a coin club, can anybody send me stuff to give to the kids and help me out with meeting topics?". Hopefully, you've got a little more than that. First step, make sure there are others in the area who are interested in the same thing. Since I don't know you personally, I can't begin to give you tips on what to talk about, but determine the age range and interests of your group then decide what to present. Meet informally, and organize. See who has what knowledge, and who would be willing to share that with others in the group. Being part of a group means having an equal say in what goes on within the group. The officers of said clubs are there only to keep order, not dictate. Researching a presentation is a great way to learn, then sharing that info with others reinforces what you learned in compiling the presentation. Think school essay or book report (or am I dating myself?) only the subject is something you enjoy rather than an assignment. Use this as the basis for each meeting (one at a time). Then find what you can among the group to give/trade/auction at the meetings. I can't speak for everybody, but I can't blindly send items to an internet stranger on a wish, but if I can see the results of your effort, I could be persuaded to help out. FYI- I was a "den mother" for my daughter's brownie troop years ago. I was the only male mother in the group (and the only one with a beard). (I also coached my son's elementary athletic teams, didn't feel out of place with those). I helped because they needed it, and my wife worked swing shifts. I was actually famous within the troop for my cupcakes (from a mix, but I made 'em myself!). I tell you this so as not to let what I said above discourage you. Like I said, I applaud your effort and wish you the best of luck. I would like to see some updates on your progress.
well I had a little more "stuff" than I made it out to be. I made a powerpoint for the first day going over the "basics and idefication" of coins. Im Also thinking about a few ideas that could actually get the kids up and going with coin collecting, but ill keep that until my "progress report"! Also im not asking for you guys to do the work for me... I know a lot of stuff about coins I was just looking for maybe, some inspiration, or maybe something that I didn't know about coins.
I think you may have missed my point. Or maybe I missed yours. Is the club already organized and established? Do you have many members? If not, get this stage out of the way first. You'll be disappointed putting all that work into a presentation to find nobody comes to see it. If you're young, try to find a mentor in your area to help out. If you're already past those stages, then by all means good luck with presentation.
Best of luck to you. It's really a ton of work. I tried in my area, thinking with three coin shops there must be interest. I was wrong.
Well thecnically no LOL. The librarian I talked to said that I could have the time and she said she had a few people (she wasn't to specific though on age group) looking for a coin club. Plus I might get people from different areas because there is only 1 coin club in central jersey (but its really near upper jersey but we got to make due). I just wanted to be prepaired. I wouldn't be to disappointed if I "lose the powerpoint" because no one comes (which wont happen) because I love making powerpoints. I have to talk to the librarian so I can put an add in the newsletter and an icon on the website or something. I want to get this started as soon as possible with the ball just rolling (or whatever that phrase was). Hopefully I get a good base of club members. What would you guys say if I put it for all ages because the library is right next to the elderly community so I was a little hesitant, but I guess I could teach them too
Then my advice would be to table the presentation for now and concentrate your efforts on getting organized. Get a number and see how much interest you have in this club. Starting off by conducting your first meeting with a lecture may tend to alienate the very people you want to attract. Especially if the interested members are older men and women. Ease into the club-based lectures until you actually have a club. Keep in mind being the "founding father" doesn't equate to club president. This is where organizing comes in. Being to pushy will defeat what I think you're trying to accomplish. What you present above seems less like a club and more like an invitation to a lecture series. Next to an "elderly community"? What exactly, is this? A nursing home? A retirement village? Rather than invite them to your meetings, maybe consider having an occasional meeting there. Check with the administrator of that facility. These places love to host different events for the benefit of the residents. You may actually learn something from them. I'm not sure what age range you're in, but based on the conversation I'm assuming in the under 18 bracket. So: Bit of advice Statements like this come across as arrogance. This will be the biggest turn-off to potential members of your club. Look at this more as a learning rather than a teaching experience for you. You'll get more out of it. Anther piece of advice (and I mean this not as an insult but as a bit of teaching on my part), clean up your spelling and grammar. I know this is just an internet forum, and we all tolerate the mistakes, but if you prepare Power Point presentations in the same manner you post, your program will not get your ideas across and you will quickly lose your audience. Use the opportunities to post to practice good spelling and grammar. Proof-read, use a spell checker. I used to coach midget football, my responsibility being the first year players. These were 8 year-olds. The number one thing I preached every day was practice like it means something. Sloppy practices will always result in sloppy games. You play exactly like you practice. The same holds true here.
I have been going to a coin club meeting for 2 months. It's about 45 minute drive for me. It's mostly a swap meet and the average age is about 50
1) The "elderly home" I mentioned is like an adult community for people li 1) The "elderly home" I mentioned is like an adult community for people like 55 and up or something. 2) Me saying "I guess I could teach them" was referring to that I'm 14 and they are 55 and it may be a little uncomfortable for both parties. Also I have severe shyness around people older than me. I'm great, and quite comical, around people younger than me, but I wouldn't be too funny because I'm teaching a class.. 3) Im guessing you would like me to spell out you instead of you. Sorry I cant spell, cant really do anything about that though I think my computer has spell check. Don't worry whenever I write papers/powerpoints I actually use my "good English" I already double checked the powerpoint!
One thing, I don't know of any coin clubs in my area that is not tax exempt. If I were you, I'd look into what it would take to become a 401 C3 Tax exempt club.
Or you may not want to go the tax exempt route. We just discussed that at our club this evening. We accidentally let ours lapse and we have been looking into getting it back again. We found that we had to file with the state, a $35 filing fee, get an EIN from the Feds, free, and file for the exemption with the IRS, a $795 filing fee for the initial filing and then $300 annually each year afterwards to maintain it. It's cheaper to pay the taxes on the clubs earnings until the club starts earning $15 - 20K per year. (Most small clubs operate on $3 -4K per year.)
Ace71499, good luck with the project. You got a lot of good advice here. You cannot follow all of it at once. No path to success exists: there is no royal road. Everything helps; nothing guarantees. I would say that the single most important thing is continuity. I know one club (not coins) five years old. Four to eight people meet once a month. It is all they need for the purpose of the group. While you do know a lot, perhaps, it feels to me as if for your club, hands-on grading would be fun. Maybe members could bring in materials for identification. This library you meet at, what kinds of books do they have in the CJ or 737 sections? Also, you might find one or more local coin dealers who would come and talk about an area of expertise - not just "buy your coins from me" but something they know about well at a recognized level. Ask around. Check with the ANA website under Membership to find dealers close to you and then use the ANA and ANS library databases and see if any has written an article or book. You might find other numismatists (not dealers) who would come to your group as guests. You might want to think about a website or at least pages on someone's site, just to post meeting notices and meeting minutes. Meeting minutes let people see that something happened worth attending. (As an aside, we never mention last names. ) New Jersey has some national-class clubs, also. You can find them on the ANA website, too.
