More than 25 young people attended a Lincoln cent workshop sponsored by the Sacramento Valley Coin Club and held during its Oct. 3 show.
“We wanted something for the young collectors, in our club and others, to have a hands-on experience, learning but also going away with something,” said Terry Midby, the club’s youth outreach coordinator.
The theme of the youth workshop sprung from this year being the Lincoln cent’s centennial, he said.
“Thanks to the generous donation of club member Lou Juricich and other members, we received more than enough Lincoln cents dated from the 1940s to date to allow those youngsters attending to assemble Lincoln cent collections into albums,” said Midby. “The club had in excess of 5,000 Lincoln cents.”
After a PowerPoint presentation that reviewed the Lincoln cent and its design changes over the past century, the children were allowed to go through piles and bags of cents to fill donated albums. The cents from 1941 through 1958 were circulated grades, while the Memorial reverse cents 1959 through 1974 were uncirculated.
“Youth is definitely the future of our hobby, coin collecting, and we adults have to get them excited,” Midby said. “We need to expose them to coins.”
The young people who filled their albums said they “loved it,” had fun and learned something. They were seen encouraging and assisting others.
In addition to the workshop, there was also a youth table at the show that offered free giveaways and a six-stop treasure hunt.
“We are proud of our youth numismatic efforts and believe it is a positive foundation for tomorrow’s coin hobbyists,” said Robert Shanks, club president.
Information about the Sacramento Valley Coin Club can be obtained online at www.sacvalcc.org, or by writing P.O. Box 160122, Sacramento, CA 95816-0122.
