Collecting Coins and Paper Money Can Be a Family Activity - Fun & Educational

If you (or others in your household) were never fond of history class in school, this could be your opportunity to learn about new countries and the world in general, making it far more interesting than any class a professor could teach.

What a great way to gather the family together to discuss what each one has learned about a new found coin or bill. It could become a fun project by examining your change and paper money periodically.

You could even designate sizable glass jars that would be the "drop off" location where everyone in the household deposits loose change.

If the coins aren't valuable, just think of the amount of money you can accumulate and save.

Half the fun of coin collecting is examining and researching each coin. The "Standard Catalog of World Coins" and the "Standard Catalog of Paper Money" are the gold standard for collecting currency.

The number of countries are endless and so you will never have collected every possible coin or bill in your lifetime. There will always be just one more you want to add to your collection.

Cataloging and arranging your coins by country, alphabetically, is one way of testing your organizational skills. You could begin with Afghanistan and collect coins from numerous countries, ending with the Vatican (as seen in the photo) or Zimbabwe if you are fortunate enough to locate one from that country.

Coins can be collected according to metal content. Bi-metallic coins are interesting as they have a coating of one metal over another. However, some coins have a center of one metal and a ring with another metal. They are not the "classic" example of bi-metallic, but they are still collectible.

In the photo left to right: Taiwan 50 Yuan - 1997 (brass center with copper-nickel ring), Portugal 100 Escudos - 1991 (aluminum-bronze center with copper-nickel ring), Italy 500 Lire - 1991 (silver and gold - considered the first bimetal coin ever minted).

Once you amass your collection, you now have the leverage to buy or sell your inventory.

If you've ever watched "Shark Tank" on TV, Mark Cuban tells the story of how he bought and sold (for a profit) a coin when he was a child.

Join a local coin club to meet new people that share the same interest or blog about your collection on the Internet.

You'd be surprised the feedback you'll get in person or online to an inquiry or comment about your collection.

One of the most beautiful American coins is the U.S. Peace Dollar.

The one in the photo is dated 1924 and is 90% silver and 10% copper.

Paper money from around the world comes in all sizes and colors.

In the accompanying photo, on top is a large bill dated 1940 from the Bank of China with a value of 10 Yuan, below is paper money from Bangladesh valued at 1 Taka. What makes this bill so intriguing is that it contains a silver security thread.

My advice is that you enjoy what you collect and that you share what you learn with others.

All coin and paper money photos in this article were taken by the author, Camille Gizzarelli.

Collecting coins and paper money can be great fun for you and your family.

This is educational and currency can be seen as a work of art. Collect and enjoy!

If you are interested in coins, I recommend that you purchase a book on world coins in order to identify the coin and gain information on its content and value.

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