A Coin is Worth a Thousand Words

A Coin is Worth a Thousand Words

I find it hard to believe when someone tells me they went to a get-together, or even on a date, but they had nothing to talk about. Go figure. I have personally never really understood it and to this day, it still baffles me. I was just having a conversation with a coin collector friend, and next thing you know, it was about 10 p.m. and we were still talking about coins. We even let our dinner get cold, as the conversation was just that good. Sometimes, we even skipped taking breaths or talked over each other, just to try to get a word in. Time was really flying; hours seemed like minutes. If it wouldn’t have been a weeknight, we could have probably gone on talking about coins for days. I guess this is why they use the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words," but in this case, it’s "A coin is worth a thousand words."

I told a non-collector friend of mine about the long coin-related conversation I recently had, and he just couldn’t fathom how we can talk all night about coins. I told him, "That’s nothing. There have been conversations about certain coins for days, weeks and maybe even months. There are even books discussing just one coin." For example, take the book "Million Dollar Nickels," discussing the 1913 Liberty Nickels, or the book "Illegal Tender," which discusses the 1933 Double Eagle.

My kids have dozens of video games, iTunes, access to YouTube and hundreds of TV channels at their disposal (and in their pockets with phones), yet I can’t recall how many times I have heard them say they’re bored. I just don’t get it. If numismatics is that fun to talk about, like in my experience, why don’t more kids, or even grown-ups, put down their video games or iPhones and start collecting coins? At a glance, maybe numismatics doesn’t appeal to them, but I believe once they understand the history and background of a coin, really good conversations can develop from it. Where has the coin been, how long has it been in circulation? Imagine the things the coin could have seen or heard. Older coins are a reflection of the past, while newer, modern coins are a product of a major brand, just like Nike, Reebok and many other famous brands. The only difference is that the U.S. Mint’s products get passed around.

Imagine Nike Shoes being passed around and dozens, or even hundreds, of different individuals get to touch them. Maybe that’s a bad analogy, but hopefully you get the gist, as coins are the bi-product of a brand that are being passed around in circulation every day. The Mint is just like a major brand: It produces quality products that appeal to the masses. And what makes the Mint’s brand even stronger is that it has the government backing. Not to mention, the coins have legal tender status, creating a very strong brand indeed.

I believe that if more people would get involved with numismatics, we would have less people saying, "I’m bored."