Young Collectors

Well, I haven't heard from other young collectors on this forum.

It depends...

I like things that are old or are toned.
Give him/her a coin that is "unknown" to them and get them to find it out.
Say it might have some value to it.

They get searching...Buy books...

Find out its worth a quarter and egg your house....

Thanks!
TKC!

Jim I totally agree with all of the tv and video games that kids have. In my household my two oldest 5 & 6 only have a limited time to watch tv and play games and the time they do get is regulated. And TKC has a good point about showing younger a coin they have never seen before might turn the light bulb on. Really though I think it has to do with The young ones household, memories of family members with coins, and just a plain old gut instinct to know that coins are way cool.

Actually this same question came up a long time ago on the PCGS forum. Of course that place has gotten out of hand now with well over 20,000 members. Some YN's began posting the question why not have a separate forum for YN's so they could do like all kids do and discuss coins at their level. Several of them jumped on that suggestion as a great idea. PCGS just ignored them. From what I've heard from one of them, instead they formed sort of an internet coin club and buy, sell, ask questions among themselves. I think they just don't like some of the nonsense that adults rant on about.
Possibly that is something this forum could look into. Kids like to talk to adults but I think as a rule they would like to talk amongst themselves first.

Kids take right to putting together a set of coins. You can give thenm a folder and some worn buffalos but they might lose interest when they can't get more coins to check or can't continue to fill some holes. For this reason the best bet is sets of circulating coinage. When they complete one of these they've been at it for a while and are more likely to want to try a harder set.

Hi everyone !!

I have been watching this thread with great interest ,,

I would like to provoke it a little with a question for the younger group this includes the new collector of any age !!


Would it be beneficial to you if you had a mentor ?Someone who's interest are similar ,but with greater experiance ?

That you could interact with on a one to one basis maybe a couple of times a week or more .

Rick

Yep, that is an excellent idea.

I can't really say anything as far as the younger crowd but as a relative newbie having a mentor would be a great help. I've run across some very patient, helpful people at shops and shows but I feel guilty about taking so much of their time. Having someone that enjoys the hobby and wouldn't mind passing along their knowledge, especially grading, would help out a lot.

I was just 12 when I started collecting,, I can tell you that my interest in coins never went away, but for quite sometime my ability did ! Keeping in mind that when I was 12 it was 1969 BC (Before Computers ),, If I would have had access to a forum such as this one, and people who I could ask questions ,, and possibly even someone who dedicated a few hours a week to help and teach and share the hobby with (Mentor) even by computer emails PM's whatever , I'm sure that even those years that I sat pretty Idle in my collecting both in the amount of coins I collected but also in the knowledge that should have come first would have been much different.

So ya I think I know where your coming from Banjax,, but keep in mind that it is very hard to stay interested as a 12 year old when your by yourself !! or in a room full of mostly adults who for the most part collect way above your means and the knowledge level can be somewhat intimidating,, I can remember those days !!

Now its true that youngsters minds often change and interests in things ebb and flow, but a firm foundation will bring them back either as young adults or as adults with a at least a basic knowledge that can be built upon.

Rick

Coin Community Family has done a real positive number on one of our grand daughters. She started reading the posts, then became a member and did some posting, and currently her favorite topic of discussion is coin collecting. She has fallen in love with ASE's, and is saving her money in the hopes of buying one soon, and then collecting them as she earns money.

So, this forum is one way to get kids to become YN's. Another, as mentioned, is having a mentor. I mentor the grand daughter, as does her Mother. We don't want to overdo it so that she loses interest, and right now she couldn't be any more interested.

Now, we need to work on the other five grandkids!!