The Journey to Coin Collecting

 

    My journey to coin collecting was an interesting one. It took place when I first came to the United States when I was in second grade.

    I came here around June of 2009. Whenever we went shopping, Mom always let me pay the money so I would get used to the new environment. Even though I had been taught at home about all the coins, it was still difficult for me to count coins in public. So I just grabbed a handful of coins and held them out to the cashier for that person to pick what I need to pay.

    Luckily, I escaped that obstacle, but as school started at Chaparral, I was in trouble. I still couldn’t recognize the value of coins at first sight.  The math worksheets Mrs. Harrison, my teacher, handed out always had at least one question about coins. Even worse, I didn’t know English, so I could not ask for help. All I could do was guess according to the sizes. Of course,  my answer wasn’t even close.

When my mom saw that worksheet in the Friday Folder, she immediately started to practice money sense with me. I learned fast and improved a lot. After a week's practice, I had it all memorized. Now, it’s easy as eating an egg.

Once I had confidence in coins, my interest rose as well. In third grade, I became addicted to coin collecting, especially quarters. My mom always gave me quarters from her change to sort into years. My oldest coin was made in 1965.  Every time I got a really old quarter, I would yelp with delight, even if we were in public. I had no idea that Coin Collecting is one of the Merit Badges in Boy Scouts.  Now I am working hard to earn the badge. I read books, and browse the internet to research information needed to fulfill the requirements. Now I learned how coins are made, how to identify the value of coins, and coin history. I also learned that not all coins made were perfect. Some weren’t centered perfectly in the process, so the machine made  deformed coins. And these defective coins are even more valuable. Isn’t that so interesting?

Now, for my Coin Collecting Merit Badge, there is only one more requirement to fulfill. That is going to a coin show. But my journey of coin collecting has just begun!