School’s out…
Coin collecting is in for the summer!

Ah, summer vacation. It’s hands down the best time of year for kids from kindergarten all the way through high school (and okay maybe even college!). A time to enjoy the sweet taste of freedom after a year filled with seemingly endless classes and extracurricular activities.  

But it always seems that the summer months fly by and, before you know it, school is back in session! So, this year, we’ve pulled together some summer vacation activities for you and your family to dive into before the end of August arrives.

Learn the Lingo

Coin collecting, especially to a kid, can seem like a foreign language. And they’re not wrong either! There are lots of words that sound strange or can be downright confusing when you’re first starting out. To help, we’ve put together a list of our top 5 words to know:

• Numismatic (new-miz-mat-ick) – the study or collection of coins; someone who collects coins is called a numismatist (new-miz-muh-tist).

• Obverse – the front or “face” of a coin, in U.S. coinage this usually displays the year the coin was made.

• Reverse – the back or “tails” of a coin, this side will more often than not tell you what the face value of the coin is worth.

• Condition – what the coin looks like with wear and tear, this term is used interchangeably with “grade.”

• Mint – the place where coins are issued or produced.

But our coin collecting vocabulary doesn’t end there! Take a look at our website’s coin glossary which has a more complete list of terms that every collector should know.

Getting the Right Tools

The key to any collection, whether just starting out or as a seasoned collector, is having the right supplies. After all, you wouldn’t try building a sandcastle with a rake. Our supply section is a great place for everyone just starting out. We’ve got a little bit of everything from blank folders and albums to a variety of convenient coin holders to make a collection stand out.

For newer collectors (and maybe not so new collectors as well!), our Learn Center is a great place to start learning… well… everything. Here they’ll find out all they want to know about coins and then some. We’ll walk them through the process of where and how to start a collection while also providing them with plenty of resources.

We also recommend checking out our collecting guides! These guides are a fantastic way to dip a toe into the collecting waters. Plus, we’ve got quite a few to choose from, which means that whatever coin type they’re interested in, they’ll be able to read all about it. And, one of my favorite parts about these helpful guides, they’re completely free!

Pocket Change Challenges

Now for the fun part… starting a collection! These “pocket change challenges” are great summer vacation activities for kids small and tall alike:

• Map Out Your Road Trip – do you have a busy summer planned with lots of places to go and people to see? Then this is the perfect challenge for your travel buddy! If you’re planning on flying or driving somewhere, create a “passport” of states that you traveled through with the Statehood quarters. Or, if you’re planning on seeing any of the National Parks this summer, try having them map out your trip with fun facts and some of their favorite memories!

• Coin Hunting Bingo – get your kids into the collecting spirit with a little bit of friendly competition. All you need to do is get a blank bingo card and fill in the rest! One square could call for a U.S. Semiquincentennial quarter while another asks for a Keelboat Jefferson nickel. As for the freebie spot in the center, maybe a Lincoln Head cent for any year from 2010-2024 with bonus points for a 2025 (it was the last year of the cents after all!).

• Themed Coins – a little simpler than the other two, a themed coin collection can be really whatever you want it to be! An especially good way to start collecting for younger kids, this makes for a fun pocket change challenge. For kids just learning their numbers, try having them collect years (i.e. one coin from 2000, 2001, 2002 etc.) to help them get familiar with numerical order. For animal loving youngsters, challenge them to find as many coins with creatures big and small on them before their first day of school. You can even create a contest for your kids to find a coin from every year in a decade (maybe Sally gets the 1980s while Johnny has to look for the 1970s?). Really the possibilities are endless!

Or, if you’d rather have something more concrete for your kiddo to do this summer, don’t worry! You can find plenty of coin collector starter kits on our website that are the perfect introduction into the numismatic world.

Tis the Sea-Sun

Every year, it feels like there’s always so many summer vacation activities to choose from. Will you go to an amusement park? Or maybe spend time at the beach? No matter what you do, if you’re looking to add a stop to your summer road trip, I know the perfect place! How does a nice, relaxing visit to the beautiful White Mountains of New Hampshire sound? While you’re up exploring all the local sights, stop in and say “hi”!

 

While we offer tours all year, during the summer our experienced guides offer tours every day of the week at 1:30 P.M. So, whatever day you have us scheduled for on your summer itinerary, we’ll be here for you! But if that timing doesn’t quite work, reach out to us at 1-800-645-3122 and we can work with you to find the perfect time.

Rounding out your trip to Littleton Coin, is our favorite place – the gift shop. Here your new numismatist can check out all kinds of fun collectibles while having one of our knowledgeable receptionists assist them with their questions. We can’t wait to see you!