So how do you get a 7th grade boy interested in the hobby?

In the 30's when my Grandfather was young, he went and spent his mom's Indian Head's on Penny Candy. To This day, he owns a huge coin collection worth thousands, mainly because his mother collected everything!

They will realize sooner or later!!

 

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My best friend's fiancee had a ten year old son that I would watch at night for them as they both worked second shift. Not much work, make dinner, he'd do his homework and then play video games.
He started to wonder what I was doing with books and magazines spread out and coin albums and coins. Before long he was watching me and I was explaining to him what I was doing. He was actually MORE interested in my coins than his video games.
I got him Lincoln folders and started giving him cents to put in them. So we started his Lincoln collection. We're still working on it although I don't need to watch him anymore. We lived in a town of 106 people in Northern Minnesota and called our selves the (Name of Town) Coin Club. With only two members we met several times a week. For Christmas that year I gave him a Silver Eagle of his birth year.
Unfortunately, his birthday is Dec. 26th, so most people give him a combined Christmas/Birthday present. However, I started giving him a smaller gift of a coin or coins for Christmas and a larger coin gift for his birthday the next day. He followed my love of half dollars and last year I gave a 2007 Silver Eagle for Christmas and a set of XF/AU Franklins for his birthday the following day. The boy is definitely a hooked coin collector.
His step-mother, who he doesn't really care for much, gave him a few old coins last spring that she had been saving. He brought them over and we looked them up and she had given him a 1901S Barber dime in Fine. The August Greysheet bid is $285. I thought for sure he would let slip what she had done, and she would demand it back, but in over a year he hasn't. Very good for a 13 year old. He keeps all of his coins arranged on his bookshelf in his room at his mother's house. Just as I had shown him. What his step-mother doesn't know will never hurt her.
I'm in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease and have willed my entire collection to him. If the disease progresses faster than anticipated, it will put him through school. If not, I'll still help him out and when he's into his twenties he will inherit my life's pasttime. I consider him my grandson, since I never had children and have made the legal necessities required to make sure that his mother will control the collection until he is 21, at which time his step-mother will no longer have any sway with him.
As we all are nothing but temporary custodians of our collections, I am very pleased to know where my collection will be going and that my work and expense will be appreciated.
Vegas Vic

 

Tell them how much it's worth. Showed my neices a silver eagle a couple months ago. First question. What's it worth. Silver just went over $20 so I said about 20 bucks, but if you hold onto it, it has the potential to be worth alot more. Very interested. Then silver fell and they forgot all about it. Probably would work with a real collectors coin in a good grade or a major error. Seems kids these days are impressed by money and things. A coin is both.

 

So how do you get a 7th grade boy interested in the hobby?

easy, show him a 7th grade girl who is interested in the hobby.

 

I think the idea of taking him to a coin show is a good one. You might also try giving him an ASE. Explain that it is silver. Let him hold it, carry it around or do whatever he wants with it. There will be time later to explain the proper handling of coins. Don't expect him to become interested immediately. Sometimes it take awhile. Sometimes a very long time. It isn't something that can be forced.

 

Coin shows are really great to inspire interest in anyone. If the show is large enough, the massive variety of available coins is very impressive. Some of the larger foreign coin shows around are also extreamely interesting. At coin shows I've noticed that many times YN's appear to be more interested in the coins than the adults that brought them there. I once asked a kid at a coin show if his Dad inpired him in coin collecting and got a shock. He said no, in fact I'm teaching him about coins.

 

I'm starting early. My son is 5 years old, and he loves to sit on my lap and look at coins with his magnifying glass. He also loves to go metal detecting with me, so I'm planning a "treasure hunt" with him in a couple of weeks. I made up a pretty authentic looking trasure map, with a big "X" on the beach nearby. I'm going to mail him the map, and when he digs out our detector to go to the beach, he'll dig up a huge bag of junk silver coins I've accumulated. I think he's still young enough that he won't realize daddy planted it there. Hopefully this will make him a life-long collector.

 

Show him something cool....an error, doubled die, etc. I was at a coin store the other day and a guy and his nephew (maybe 9yo) came in. He was looking in the cases as his uncle showed him all of these old coins. When I was ready to go I said "hey kid, come over here a sec" I gave him an 1883 no cent V nickel. I know its not worth a lot, maybe $30, but in his eyes I bet $30 is a lot of money. Plus maybe that will spark some interest.

 

The trick is to catch them as soon as they can understand the priciples of coin collecting , just the basics like dates and MM . then give them a penny folder and a bunch of wheats , if their eyes light up when they fill an empty hole then you probably got them hooked , That's how my dad started me and my sister .
rzage