Coin collecting merit badge

Way to go, sounds like a great idea. Heck, maybe you should patent that idea or at least get some credit somehow. You never know if someone would take that idea and somehow make money off of it and put their own name on it. I've never been a scout myself, but it certainly has all the earmarks of something good.

 

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To bobeth87:

You could give the winner/s (badge recipients) a mint set of their birth year along with a few foreign coins bearing their birth year. Coin books make welcome prizes too.

Nice of you to share your time and numismatic knowledge with deserving youngsters. I'm proud to know you!:hug:

Clinker

 

Very cool!! Look forward to hearing how your meetings turn out!

Another idea of coins to bring/giveaway is to buy some junk barber dimes, each would cost you just a bit over melt ($1.25 or so each probably) and the kids would have a 100 year old or so dime to take away. Could be quarters or halves of course depending on what you want to spend. And for all those who hate Barbers, you could get some junk walkers instead, but those aren't as cool in my opinion

 

Very cool man, I always enjoy hearing about people helping out scouting.:thumb: I never earned this badge when I was in scouts, kind of wish I had now though lol.

If you have more time, you should ask if they do something that we called "merit badge university." Kids from all over our city would come and select three or four badges to work on. It would meet one Saturday and then again a couple weeks later to complete the badge/work on it some more. Also, if you are interested in continuing work with scouts, many cities/councils have a list of qualified people and what badges they teach, so maybe look into getting put on the list in case another scout or troop is interested in working on the badge.

 

What a great way of anchoring the hobby, and engaging yourself in a fine organization at the same time.
A few months back i contacted the Canadian Division of the Scouts within my city to enquire about donating my hundreds of common dates 'doubles' of Canadian coins (some were pre 1900) to the scouting organization to assist with this merrit badge.
They have a program called 'no child left behind' in which various foundations and private donations sponsor kids whos families can't afford the accessorial charges to engage their kids 100% within all the scouting activities.
I thought what a great way of helping a kid obtain an interest in this hobby and being charitable at the same time.
The thing is they wouldn't accept the coins and distribute them accordingly to these targeted kids, but they provided me an address of a coin dealer who would buy the coins from me and they would then send the funds to the scouts themselves.
To me that idea missed the mark to what I was trying to obtain. Id much rather give them to a kid, than to a dealer who more than likely will profit from the whole transaction.
I did send them a $10 dontation in good faith however.
Regardless Im still sitting on these things and may try the cubs.
Do any of you think perhaps being charitable under my own terms like this may be a little self-serving and I should have sent them to this coin dealer?

 

When my son was this age I volunteered to help his den get the coin collecting badge. I used 2x2 's and the plastic sheets and brought in a hundred or so foreign coins. Each scout left with a nice assortment of world money and the badge. It was a blast!....Yea it was a few years back ...my son will be 21 in Oct.

 

Getting involved in the Scout Troop is a great idea. I still have my coins that I put together for my Coin Collecting Merit Badge. I think at the time (back in the 70s) I had to put together a birth year set for the badge. I don't know if that is still a requirement or not. I think a state quarter set is a good idea. Good luck and have fun!!!!!

 

1. Understand how coins are made, and where the active U.S. Mint facilities are located.
2. Explain these collecting terms: a. Obverse b. Reverse c. Reeding d. Clad e. Type set f. Date set
3. Explain the grading terms Uncirculated, Extremely Fine, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, and Poor. Show five different grade examples of the same coin type. Explain the term “proof” and why it is not a grade. Tell what encapsulated coins are.
4. Know three different ways to store a collection, and describe the benefits, drawbacks, and expenses of each method. Pick one to use when completing requirements.
5. Do the following: a. Demonstrate to your counselor that you know how to use two U.S. or world coin reference catalogs. b. Read a numismatic magazine or newspaper and tell your counselor about what you learned.
6. Describe the 1999-2008 50 State Quarters Program. Collect and show your counselor five different quarters you have acquired from circulation.
7. Collect from circulation a set of currently circulating U.S. coins. Include one coin of each denomination (cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, dollar). For each coin, locate the mint marks, if any, and the designer’s initials, if any.
8. Do the following: a. Identify the people depicted on the following denominations of current U.S. paper money: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100. b. Explain “legal tender.” c. Describe the role the Federal Reserve System plays in the distribution of currency.
9. Do ONE of the following: a. Collect and identify 50 foreign coins from at least 10 different countries. b. Collect and identify 20 bank notes from at least five different countries. c. Collect and identify 15 different tokens or medals. d. For each year since the year of your birth, collect a date set of a single type of coin.
10. Do ONE of the following: a. Tour a U.S. Mint facility, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, or a Federal Reserve bank, and describe what you learned to your counselor. b. With your parent’s permission, attend a coin show or coin club meeting, or view the Web site of the U.S. Mint or a coin dealer, and report what you learned. c. Give a talk about coin collecting to your troop or class at school. d. Do drawings of five Colonial-era U.S. coins.

Those are the current requirements for the badge for those people looking to help out.

 

Howdy,

Congratulations and thanks. I rec'd mine about 50 years ago on my way to Eagle Scout. BTW, my 3rd grade teacher starter us collecting a year set of cents. Back then you could still find an occasional Indian Head.

In addition to all the wonderful suggestions I'd see if I could actually coop the local coin dealer. By this I mean giving you a discount on tri-fold albums for the boys. It's to his/her benefit if you can get these kids collecting as they will increase his/her business.

I'd go with the quarters because all the business strikes can be found in change. Heading to the bank with $20 for a couple of rolls to search and then going back and doing it again.

Also, bring in the historical aspect of collecting. One way would be for you to put together a type set of 1910 coins as this was the year the Scouts were formed in this country. Indeed, the anniversary commem is coming out next year.

Just some thoughts.

Good luck,

rono

 

Congratulations on your endeavors into helping out your local scouts. It's very rewarding, especially when those scouts make Eagle! I was a merit badge counselor for several merit badges in our troop including, of course, Coin Collecting, and always enjoyed helping those scouts through the process of becoming Eagle Scouts. (I am proud to say that both of my boys are also Eagle Scouts.)

Another suggestion, if I may, is that several of the larger coin-related companies like Bowers & Merena, Teletrade, PCGS, NGC, ANACS all give out free merchandise like lanyards, magnifiers, pens, etc., so you might contact one of them to see if they will donate some for your potential Eagle Scouts!

And I'm not sure if it was mentioned yet, but one very helpful thing to teach these new coin collectors is how to properly care for, store, and protect their coins. That is something basic, yet often forgotten when helping out youth learn about coins.

Any way, I wish you all the best in what I'm sure will be even more rewarding for you than for the boys you help.

 

This is true. Many coin related organizations like to contribute to worthy causes involved in coin collecting. I suggest you also try contacting coin magazines like Numismedia, Coin World, etc for any possible free samples. Also, you may want to try Whitman Publishing for any free items for the kids.
Also, forums like this are also a great place for possible donations to worthy causes.
As for donations to this cause, I suggest you first find a address not related to any individuals personal home. A buisness address, PO box, some community or town center with thier permission. The reason is you should never make public your's or anyone's home address dealing with coins or any valuable items. You may want to contact your town, city or village officials for a place to have donations sent to.
Really not to smart to make personal addresses or information to public.

 

Although this is related more to after the scout has collected all the necessary merit badges and has made it to Eagle Scout, I hope you don't mind if I offer two other suggestions that were given to me by another parent of an Eagle Scout. If you send out requests to all the major dignitaries you can think of and find addresses for, such as any major authority who works in the White House, your senators, congressmen, governors, celebrities, astronauts (current and past), sports figures, local government officials, etc., they will send your new Eagle Scout a signed congratulatory letter, certificate, and even photo. I had the letters sent to my p.o. box and then put them all in an album and presented them to my sons at their Eagle Courts of Honor so it was a complete surprise (well, at least to my first son, since my second son suspected he would get the same!). They even received a signed photo from Bob Hope, one of the former astronauts, and a lot of other dignitaries.

I also contacted our local congressman and asked that a flag (which you have to pay for) be flown over the capital in both of my sons' honor. They post the flag on a pole above the capital, fly it briefly, pull it down, fold it up, and send it to your son with a certificate indicating the date it was flown. It's pretty special, and something they can keep and post to fly over their own home during special holidays.

 

MULTI-PALM EAGLE
SUPER SCOUT
Laura J. Gardner | The Journal Gazette
Jonathan Yarde earned his Eagle Scout badge at age 13. He has earned all 121 merit badges the Boy Scouts offer.
In 100 years of Scouting, only 103 people have ever earned every merit badge.


21 Merit Badges required for Eagle.
5 additianal Bronze Palm
10 additional Gold Palm
15 additional Silver Palm

YOU D MAN PALM: ALL THE BADGES

Earning those 21 badges is difficult, though. Less than 4 percent of all Scouts ever earn the Eagle Scout rank.

"Once an Eagle Always an Eagle"

 

I'm an adult Eagle scout, and kind of getting back into it.

I wonder how many coin collectors first got into collecting because they decided to pursue the coin collecting merit badge! Believe it or not, that's got to be one good-sized gateway to the hobby!

 

Helping the scouts with their merit badge is one of the main reasons I always try to participate in a show's Treasure Hunt if they have one! I get to meet and talk with each scout, and I always try to encourage them to stay with the program all the way to Eagle. I tell them how hard it can be to stick with it but that it is well worth their efforts. I also tell them brief stories of how being an Eagle Scout has already helped my boys with college and job applications. Both of them were hired on the spot once their interviewer saw that they were Eagle Scouts. It's really a wonderful program that helps our youth get started learning about responsibility and leadership.

 

Thanks for posting the requirements. They are very slightly better than back when I was a coin collecting merit badge councilor but still pathetic. It's possible to complete this merit badge and collect only 20 coins. A date set of cents from 1998 to 2010, a nickel , dime. quarter, half and dollar and if the quarter is a state quarter you need four more different state quarters. When I was last counseling it it was possible to earn it collecting just five coins, a cent through half dollar. I actually had four boys earn the badge while they were at summer camp camping out in the woods just from the pocket change available among the other scouts.

 

My goal is to make coin collecting fun and interesting. Thanks for all your thoughts and the donations I received already. I will make a full report in September!

 

On Page 82 of the October 19, 2009 edition of Coin World, there's a short article about a coin show that's enabling Boy Scouts to earn their Coin Collecting Merit Badge during the show.

It sounds like a pretty good idea and might be something you might like to try in your area. Here's the article in case you don't have this copy of CW.

 

This already happens at most of the mid-size and larger shows, and at all the ANA shows. I am a big supporter of kids and scouts getting involved in coins so I try to participate in any treasure/trivia hunts that coin shows offer for kids and scouts, and when the kids/scouts stop by my table, I usually give them a wheat or Indian penny.

 

That's really nice! :thumb:

I've never been to a coin show, but I plan to change that next month in Baltimore. I hope to run into some CT folks while I'm there. You'll be able to pick me out...I'll be the one with the well-combed antlers.