| Author |
 Replies: 13 / Views: 1,902 |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1227 Posts |
Hey y'all,
So anyone with a memory like an elephant probably remembers that I'm doing a project for my nieces, and that that's how I got into collecting. Baby Girl Mossberg is due in just over a month, and while we wait I've been eagerly sorting coins and making plans. One of them goes like this . . .
To interest my girls in both world culture (an important part of this project) and history (equally important) along with coins and numismatics (says Captain Obvious), I thought of making them a "coin chest" that they could have when Baby Girl is 6-8 years old (depending on when Mom says it's okay): a small painted chest full of all of the foreign coins I've found by then. This shouldn't be any small amount, either--I already have more than a double handful, and that in only a year and a half (and spanning about two dozen countries, from old France and post-WWII Germany to modern Japan and Africa).
My question is, how should I present these coins (and are there any that would be particularly cool to try and find and throw in)? I was thinking of getting a world map printed on some kind of parchmenty-looking paper and doing big red "THE TREASURE IS HERE"-style Xs on the appropriate countries, but given that Africa is still kind of squishy (I think there've been like four boundary rewrites in southern Africa since I started college) and some of the coins are for more than one country (e.g. East Caribbean States--eight countries, one coin, and do I mark all countries that accept the euro, or only the countries collected? Do I mark only countries that accept the euro at the time I make the box, or, if countries have dropped out of the Eurozone, do I mark them too?), I'm not sure that's the best idea.
Thoughts?
|
|
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Sounds like it could be a fun project. Wny not look into purchasing some of those large, by the pound, foreign coins. Look for a toy type treaure chest in toy places and fill with those coins. Next would be to find a place to hide it and have them find it sometimes in the future.
|
|
Valued Member
Ireland
131 Posts |
What a cool idea but why not also use it to help educate them where the different countries are by them and you "finding" each one on an atlas as they pick the coins out to look at them?
With regards the Euro coins the reverse design is different for each country so the coins are still country specific.
Norm
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Australia
877 Posts |
I will check my US coins and make a list of wanteds. And, I can send a good selection of Australian coins as a swap. Will be in touch in a couple of days. Jeff |
|
Valued Member
Canada
135 Posts |
That is a great idea.
Actually I am doing something similar.
My Nephews treasure jar is getting full, he says he needs a treasure chest about "this wide". (lol about 24")
No doubt I will be making one for myself too.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
917 Posts |
I love the idea of a treasure chest. The coin shop by me has one. Each kid that walks in can grab 5 coins for their own collection. I find myself searching it looking for the oldest or most random country I can find. I have a good chunk of the euro cents and Two Cents if you want I can grab a hand full and send them your way. |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
1501 Posts |
|
|
Valued Member
Canada
135 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
1227 Posts |
That's awesome, Coinaholic!! @Coindog, I have a fairish chunk of the euro one-cents (it's mostly Euros and higher-denomination Euro cents I'm looking for now), but I'd love to have one from each country/territory so the girls can see how the coins from all the countries are different-but-the-same. Would you mind me taking a gander through my bag and seeing what I'm missing, and maybe I can trade you? @Jeff, awesome! Most of my stuff is picked out of my change drawer, but I remember you saying you were particularly interested in dollar coins--not only do I get these relatively often at work, the bank I do my CRH at processes rolls, so I can pick some up there, too (I got my first John Quincy Adams, after three months of hunting, from my bank). Dollar coins obviously add up quickly (there are 20 designs, not counting NIFC coins), so if you're looking for a full set of the Prez dollars it would have to be either a large trade or I could provide a partial set, but if you just want some nice examples, there are some that are pretty common that I can send (and of course there are also SABs and Sacagaweas, which, in my personal opinion, the latter are some of the prettiest modern US coins). @jbuck Yes, I know we need to move to the Trades section to take a trade further, I'm replying here this time for the sake of neatness. (I shall pre-empt you having to make a modly note!) @sixthcents (I LOVE IT) and coindog, thanks! A lot of foreign coins look very, well, treasure-like even to me as an adult (gold coins, the HUGE Australian 50c pieces, two-tone coins, coins not written in Latin letters, etc.), so hopefully the girls will find them just as fascinating. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Great idea. My suggestions are: 1. Attempt to put them in something like 2x2's so they don't mess each other up with marks. 2. If you decide to use something like 2x2's, note on them where the coin is from. 3. If not in 2x2's, then find some way to photo each and add the place where from 4. You can sometimes find all kinds of them at flea markets. 5. Sometimes on ebay they have them by the pound. 6. For long time storage, coins of different materials are not good to be touching each other especially in moist areas. A long time ago I told many people I collect coins. I failed to mention only US coins so many people gave me coins from all over the World. I put them in 2x2's and noted on them the POSSIBLE source. Many of them have stuff on them that I have no idea what it all means so those become a mystery and that is about 50% of the ones I have. Don't fall into that mess. By not allowing coins of different materials to touch, it is well known that dissimilar metals touching each other can and do create electrical charges as the temperature changes. This will eventually do some damage to some of the coins. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
4132 Posts |
I did something similar for my niece's fourth birthday. This is the chest I used. I had kinda an elaborate plan, but at four, it just sorta ended up buried in her sandbox, and the chest got filled with sand and she enjoys finding the coins in her sandbox periodically. Four is maybe young for appreciation of coins, but it put to good use the pile of random, low-value, foreign coins I had. The main idea behind it, in my case, was that she is SUPER into pirates and always wanted to play Captain Hook. So the pirate flag and treasure chest (which she uses for her treasures as well as the coins) were a lot of fun for her. The chest has held up to her rough treatment, so it seems to be decent quality. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
917 Posts |
I agree with Carl putting them in 2x2s may not be as fun for your little girl but it makes it easier to show the details of each coin. PM me I have a milk crate full of foreign coins that I have not one bit of interest in.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
4208 Posts |
I say get a massive world map and attach plastic pockets to each country. Give em a big ol stack of coins, get em to sort them by country using chocolate as a lure. They learn, they get chocolate. Whats to lose?
Also, the hardest Euro you'll have to find is a vatican euro. It took me a darn lot of italian ice cream to acquire mine (I got 2 50 cents in one transaction, so I can trade you one if you are in need).
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1227 Posts |
@Just Carl, my intention was for these coins--which are not particularly valuable (I do have some immediately-post-WWII German pfennigs that may be worth something--those will NOT be going in this box)--to be "play coins," just like you might give a child a bunch of Sacagawea dollars to play with but wouldn't just hand over your Morgans. The idea is for them to be multi-purpose: a plaything, a world-culture learning tool, a geography-strengthening tool, and a history lesson (e.g. thanks to a coworker, I have some common Spanish pesetas with Franco on them in there). There's definitely something to be said for being able to "touch history." @CaptainFwiffo, I LOVE that chest! I'm not sure I'd give the girls anything at four (I've heard too many horror stories about choking and some of the coins in there are quite large--I'd rather wait until they know better than to put anything in their mouths), but I may keep my eye on that. @Coindog, I'm sending you a PM. Let me know if you're okay with knowing the coins will be researched and not-particularly-valuable ones will be going in a giant "treasure heap" with no flips--if not, I understand. @BenByfield, I have a similar idea in mind for the box--no plastic pockets (although I may do a separate, larger map also, because I like that idea), but a "pirate map" that shows where the "booty" is from. And if I ever do come across a Vatican euro, you can bet your bottom dollar THAT one is going in a flip!! |
| |
Replies: 13 / Views: 1,902 |
|
Posted 06/24/2012 09:27 am
