1. Coin Collecting Merit Badge
Paul McNabb
27 October 2012

2. Why collect coins?
For fun
For education
For investment

3. Types of collections Series: same kind, multiple years/mints
Type: one of each kind or type
Theme: same picture or event
Era: ancient, medieval, civil war
Geography: country or continent
Metal: bronze, gold, silver, multiple
Shape: square, hole, non-round
Errors: off-center, double struck, date
Non-monetary: tokens, medals

4. Let’s talk about money What is money? Why is money important?
What do people use for money?
Pine tree shilling story (1652)
Spanish dollar, pieces of eight, 2 bits, used until 1857

5. Identifying parts of a coin

6. Coin edges
Why would someone put a design on the edge of a coin?

7. Coin metals and production
Gold
Silver
Aluminum
Copper
Nickel
Steel
Cupro-nickel
Bronze (copper & tin)
Brass (copper & zinc)
Clad coins (layered)
Cast coins (poured)
Die (mold/stamp)
Proof (special made)
Planchet (blank)

8. Proof coinage
standard proof
1981 Bulgarian 1 Lev

9. Grading coins Proof is NOT a grade! Never clean your coins!
Perfect Uncirculated (MS-70)
Choice Uncirculated (MS-65)
Uncirculated (MS-60)
Choice About Uncirculated (AU-55)
About Uncirculated (AU-50)
Choice Extremely Fine (EF-45)
Extremely Fine (EF-40)
Choice Very Fine (VF-30)
Very Fine (VF-20)
Fine (F-12)
Very Good (VG-8)
Good (G-4)
About Good (AG-3)
Poor
Proof is NOT a grade!
Uncirculated Sets
Proof Sets
Never clean your coins!

10. Examples of coin grading
Uncirculated
Extra Fine
Very Fine
Fine
Very Good
Good
About Good

11. Grading buffalo nickels
Good
Very Good
Fine
Very Fine

12. United States mint facilities
Philidelphia Mint
Denver Mint
Other US Mints:
Carson City CC
Charlotte C (North Carolina)
Dahlonega D (Georgia)
Fort Knox (depository only)
Manila (Philippines)
New Orleans O
West Point W (still operational)
San Francisco Mint

13. Mint mark locations on coins

14. Mint errors

15. Counterfeit and altered coins
People create counterfeit coins to...
create face value
create collector value
People create counterfeit coins by...
making them out of cheaper metal
gold/silver plating cheap coins
adding or removing images and marks

16. Counterfeit 1914-D cents
For the counterfeit 1914-D penny, look at the spacing between the 19 and the 14. Also look at the inside shape of the D.
Under proper magnification and lighting, you can detect most alterations to coins.

17. Federal Reserve banks A Boston B New York C Philadelphia D Cleveland
E Richmond
F Atlanta
G Chicago
H St. Louis
I Minneapolis
J Kansas City
K Dallas
L San Francisco

18. What’s what on a one-dollar bill

19. Storing your coins
Tubes
Albums
Slabs
Cardboard holders
Flips

20. 50 state quarters program
1999
Delaware
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Georgia
Connecticut
2000
Massachusetts
Maryland
South Carolina
New Hampshire
Virginia
2001
New York
North Carolina
Rhode Island
Vermont
Kentucky
2002
Tennessee
Ohio
Louisiana
Indiana
Mississippi
2003
Illinois
Alabama
Maine
Missouri
Arkansas
2004
Michigan
Florida
Texas
Iowa
Wisconsin
2005
California
Minnesota
Oregon
Kansas
West Virginia
2006
Nevada
Nebraska
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
2007
Montana
Washington
Idaho
Wyoming
Utah
2008
Oklahoma
New Mexico
Arizona
Alaska
Hawaii

21. Presidential $1 coins Began in 2007 Four coins issued each year
Coins issued in order of term of office
Issued in 2007
George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison
Issued in 2008
James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren

22. United States currency
$1 George Washington
$2 Thomas Jefferson
$5 Abraham Lincoln
$10 Alexander Hamilton
$20 Andrew Jackson
$50 Ulysses S. Grant
$100 Benjamin Franklin

23. Large denomination bills
$500 William McKinley
$1,000 Grover Cleveland
$5,000 James Madison
$10,000 Salmon P. Chase
$100,000 Woodrow Wilson

24. What is different and why?
standard $1 bill
Hint: These are from the early 1940s.
Hint: North Africa (above)
Hawaii (left)

25. Hawaii Dollar

26. Remember! Have FUN with coin collecting!!

27. Merit Badge Counselor Information
Paul McNabb 2116 Bristol Road Champaign, IL