State quarters and families go together

It is still too early to know the final results of our online poll question, “Did you collect state quarters for the full 10 years?” Those who have done so outnumber those who say they have not, but that seems to me to be less the point than many comments that have arrived here in my e-mail that have referred to family members involved and the fun that has been experienced by collecting the coins together.

Coin collecting most often is a solitary pursuit. The image of a middle-aged man alone in an office/study/den has been well earned by the hobby over the years. State quarters have helped push that aside a bit, kind of like the grandkids having pushed the door open together and rushed in.

That does not mean there haven’t always been parents and children involved in coin collecting, but it seems to me that family connections have had a far greater role in the context of collecting state quarters than in just about any other aspect of numismatics.

I appreciate readers sharing their memories with me. They are great memories. I hope the writers continue to make many more.

When the numismatic history of state quarters is ultimately written, it should be pointed out what a great success it was in terms to getting family members to undertake collecting them together. State quarters have broadened the collecting base and added an element of togetherness to an often atomistic undertaking.

Most importantly, the collecting of state quarters by families together have planted seeds that will sprout 20, 30 or 40 years from now when the youngsters come back into the field that was so enjoyable to them when they were young.