Be an Expert: Coin Collecting

1. Coin Collecting Vocabulary 5 points

mint
obverse
reeding
legal tender
proof
clad
type set
date set
encapsulated

2. Where are the 5 active U.S. Mint facilities are located? 5 points

Coin Questions 5 points
3. What name should you call a coin collector? _________________

4. Who was the first person to collect coins? ___________________________

5. How much change does the US Mint make each year? _______________________

6. How long does the average coin last? ______________________

7. What happens to worn out coins? ______________________________________

8. Federal Reserve 5 points
Describe the role the Federal Reserve System plays in the distribution of currency.

9. Coin Grades 5 points
Define these coin grading terms:

Uncirculated
Extremely Fine
Very Fine
Fine
Very Good
Good
Poor.

10. Coin Parts 5 points
Identify all of the parts of this Wisconson quarter

Field

Relief

Bust

Legend

Mint Mark

Date

Edge

Rim

Inscription

11. Coin Grades 5 points
Show five different grade examples of the same coin type. See #5 above for grades.

12. Collection Storage 5 points
Describe two different ways to store a collection.
Describe the benefits, drawbacks, and expense of each method.

13. Using a Coin Catalog 5 points
Demonstrate your knowledge of how to use a U.S. or world coin catalogs.

14. Coin Collecting Articles 5 points
Read an article in a numismatic magazine or newspaper on coin collecting.
Write a summary of the article.

15. 50 State Quarters 5 points
Use 50 State Quarters list found at http://www.usmint.gov/KIDS/teachers/lessonPlans/50sq/2008/0406.pdf page 73 to answer the following questions.

How many quarters were issued each year? ______________
In what order are the quarters being issued?
In what year were the most states admitted to the United States? _____________
What were the last two states to be added to the United States?
In what year was your home state admitted to the United States? _________
Which states were admitted onFebruary 14th, Valentines Day?
Did North and South Carolina become states at the same time? _____

16. Paper Money 5 points
Whose picture is on a:

$1
$2
$5
$10
$20
$50
$100 bill

17. State Quarters 10 points
Collect and display 20 different state quarters.

18. Circulated Coins 5 points
Collect from circulation one coin of each denomination (1¢, 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1.00).

19. Coins of My Life 5 points
For each year since the year of your birth, collect a date set of a single type of coin

18. Foreign Coins 10 points
Collect and identify 10 foreign coins from at least 5 different countries.

20. Foreign Paper Money 10 points
Collect and identify 10 bank notes from at least five different countries.

21. Jefferson Nickel Collection 15 points
1. Get 2 rolls of circulated Jefferson nickels. They cost $4.00.
2. Open both rolls and dump the nickels into a medium-sized plastic food storage container.
3. Add a small amount of dish detergent and some hot water, and gently wash the nickels.
4. Rinse well and dump them on a towel to dry them.
5. Make a pile for coins dated 2000 or later, one for 1990-1999, one for 1980-1989, and so on, for each decade.
6. Look through the nickels again and keep one from each year.
7. Cut a piece of cardboard, cut to about 8 1/2 by 11 inch size.
8. Use a ruler to mark off 7 rows exactly 1 inch high, and 10 columns exactly 1 inch wide.
9. Draw 2 extra 1 inch square boxes above your grid, one on the right side, and one on the left side. These are for the 1938 and 1939 nickels.
10. In between the two extra boxes you just drew, write "Jefferson Nickels"
11. Take the nickels you sorted out earlier, and start placing them on your grid in their proper places, starting with the 1940's in the top row, all the way down to the year 2000's in the bottom row.
12. Use a small piece of Scotch tape to affix the coin to the cardboard.
13. Every single date of the Jefferson Nickel series, except the 3 years when only silver "war nickels" were issued (1943-1945) can be found in circulation.

Going Further
You can expand your nickel collection by considering the mint mark on each nickel (found on the reverse to the right of the dome on nickels from 1938 to 1942, and 1946 to 1964; above the dome on some 1942's and 1943 through 1945; and on the obverse from 1968 to current. Nickels minted from 1965 to 1967 have no mint marks. For all other years, if no mint mark is present, the coin was minted at the Philadelphia Mint. The full date and mint mark Jefferson Nickel collection cannot be completed out of circulation, but the 2 key coins (1939-D and 1950-D) are inexpensive, less than $15 each.

22. Penny Collection 15 points
Collecting pennies is an inexpensve hobby.
Purchase a cardboard penny album found at many book stores and hobby outlets.
Get a few rolls of pennies.
Sort through them and mount the pennies in the album,

23. Nickel Collection 15 points
Collecting nickles is an inexpensve hobby.
Purchase a cardboard nickle album found at many book stores and hobby outlets.
Get a few rolls of nickles.
Sort through them and mount the nickles in the album.

24. Dime Collection 15 points
Collecting dimes is an inexpensve hobby.
Purchase a cardboard dime album found at many book stores and hobby outlets.
Get a few rolls of dimes.
Sort through them and mount the dimes in the album

25. Draw a Coin 5 points
Draw a penny, nickel, or dime using a magnifying glass.
Draw both sides.

26. Design your Own Coin 10 points
Design your own coin using the template found at: http://www.hoffmanmint.com/designcoin.pdf

27. Design an Ancient Coin
Design your own ancient coin activity found at: http://www.smithlifescience.com/DesignAnAncientCoin.htm

Design a Coin Directions
First design the front (obverse) side of the coin. On your practice page.

1. A rim must be visible on both sides of the coin. Draw this first.

2. Choose your "Device", a person, an animal an event, a building, a piece of art to be the center of attention of your coin.
Your "Device" should be from a ancient civilization we have studied like: Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Harrapan, Mohenjo-Dao, Shang, Phoenician, Hebrew, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian
Make it simple.
Put it in the center of your coin.

3. A legend or motto will encircle your "Device" at the top of the coin near the rim.
The legend can explain what your "Device" is, a name or description.
Instead of the decription you can find or make up a motto about your ancient civilization.
WRITE THE LEGEND OR MOTTO USING ALL CAPITALS.

4. At the bottom near the rim include the date of when your "Device" lived or took place.
Choose a city in your civilization as the mint mark. An abbreviation where the coin was minted.
Create this in the right "Field" area of your "Device" include the mint mark.

5. On the back (reverse) side draw any image that has something to do with your civilizations culture.

6. Write the name of your civilization at the top near the rim. USE ALL CAPITALS

7. At the bottom near the rim create a value of your coin.

8. In the "Field" put in your initials as the designer.

9. Color your coin.Your coin may be bronze, silver. or gold.
Color with crayon. Shade lightly.
A little green may give it a little patina.

ONLINE RESOURCES
Coin Collecting for Beginners found at:
http://coin-newbies.com/

Coin Collecting Supplies found at:
http://www.christianet.com/bullion/coincollectingsupplies.htm

Coin Glossary found at:
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/campCoin/glossary.cfm

Coin Identification Guide found at:
http://coins.about.com/library/Coin_Identification/bl_identify_us_coins_using_photos.htm

The United States Mint found at:
http://www.usmint.gov/kids/