(#) I have some coins from all over the world and they have their charm in their own way, but the discussion here is for Euros -- and related topics, so I will limit this to Europe. (1) As a teacher of "middle school" (6th, 7th, and 8th grades), I buy coins by the pound (2.2 kg) for use in my classes. It comes to about 4 or 5 coins per dollar and the advantage is that I can pick the coins from mixed bulk bins. For a kid who is 12, a coin from 1962 is from the Dark Ages. Add the differences in languages and you have an object that is totally foreign. So, one of the uses I have is when discussing ancient history, I can pass out a coin to each kid and tell them to deal with it as if it were an artifact. What can you tell about the people who made this? (2) For myself, the coins I find most charming are mid-grade Very Good to Fine, large coppers, the British penny, the 10 Centissimi and 10-centimes and so on. Here you have a large working area for the artist. You have a coin of not much value that still circulated widely because it had a place in commerce. Life was good and people could afford the little things. When the coin comes from Britain or France, you know that it circulated in commerce around the globe across the seas.
I don't think that coins from the 1960s France and Britain circulated outside of their country. You are giving coins to the school kids? How does that work? Are they fighting about who get the best coin?
Sounds like you are a good teacher. Getting the kids proactive and interactive with their own education. Wonder if you could use your coin collecting as a tax deduction under teacher supplies if you use it as part of your lessons/curriculum.
Marotta, Well done! Educators, like you, represent the best aspects of America's school system. Thank you VERY much. Jody
[QUOTE=Marotta (1) As a teacher of "middle school" (6th, 7th, and 8th grades)... (2) For myself, the coins I find most charming are mid-grade Very Good to Fine, large coppers, the British penny, the 10 ... Wow! welcome back to me!... I moved from Albuquerque to Traverse City, Michigan. I no longer teach. However, I am planning to facilitate a five-session seminar called "Capitalism for Kids" at a local book store, and, again, coins, and other moneys will be part of the presentation. Also, I am working with a committee to create a local currency. When we started the planning, I used coins and banknotes from Europe to show what ELSE money could look like besides US FRNs. In fact, I just this week added to my working collection of examples, a Hungarian 100 Forint note from 1961. Meeting with the Design Team, I gave them a set of Euro banknote samples. Michael
The European Central Bank, by the way, published a catalog last year which shows all the euro note design that did not "make it". Nicely done, about 100 pages (28x28 cm). The designs can also be seen in an exhibition that, after its opening at the ECB, is now touring several European countries. http://www.ecb.int/events/conf/banknotes/exhibition.htm I went to the exhibition at Deutsche Bundesbank's Money Museum in Frankfurt. Had never seen the "alternative" designs before (apart from very few pictures) and found them ... well, some were dull in my opinion, others I would have liked better than our present notes Christian
