I’ve been inspired by the work of others who have been thinking outside the box in their methods to attract more people, especially younger people, into the joys we know in numismatics.

It’s the night before Halloween as I write, and some small bags are being filled with leftover/duplicate coins that I have acquired (mainly because I didn’t keep an inventory of what I already had and went impulse buying).

Of course, these mostly world coins are going to have a little background information included with them. Otherwise, a kid dressed as Barbie or Spider-Man is likely to lose the significance of the treasure, especially if it can’t be used at the convenience store for more candy.

Will my gifts create a future numismatist? Odds are long, especially if there is no one to nurture any interest that a curious child may have. Still, doing nothing gets nothing, and it’s worth it to me to put to use some of the items that I have, to start the process. Others have been doing it, some for years, and they haven’t based their efforts on results.

And so the idea shifts to the next step — what are we doing to perpetuate any interest someone may express in getting more involved in the hobby? The holiday season is the perfect time to bring this thought forward, though there is never a bad time to think about numismatic gift giving. That’s why things like the Congratulations Set are made, and any modern coin set can be seen as a “birth year” gift for a newborn. You don’t need a holiday — any reason will do.

You’ve heard the saying “buy the book before the coin”? Books have to rank highly among gift ideas, often with increasing value found crammed within the pages, and they last for years.

What about supplies? These are things that every numismatist will need at some time or another, and can be anything from a place to keep the coins, like albums or folders, or storage boxes as one begins to step up a pursuit of slabbed coins. Items like magnifiers are a good investment, and every collector would welcome a quality magnifier.

Veteran collectors: I challenge you to think about how a numismatic gift in your past would have made a difference, and think about how you can parlay your knowledge and experience into items that might boost a fellow collector. Giving them your time and experience is a great start; what else can make a difference to help a collector along the right path?

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