Mariah V., age 10, Iron Mountain, Michigan
I started collecting State Quarters when I was 7, and then started seeing world coins after joining this Girl Scout Troop, me and my mother go through bags of penny's every month looking for wheat pennies, and I have found pennys as old as 1911, I know they are not worth a whole lot, but it's neat finding coins that old for just a penny. My favorite nation to collect from is Canada, we live just 4 hours away from Canada, so there is a lot of them in our change. If not for the people in E-Bay, and a coin store in Green Bay, I probably would not have many coins, so I really have to thank you for the presents you gave us. I have about 900 coins, but do not know how many nations they are from.
Nichole S., Kingsford, Michigan
I was the only girl in this troop who collected coins before Todd started to bring us coins, I have nearly completed the Lincoln cent series, and only need 1909svdb, and 1914d to complete, I also have the complete Jefferson nickle set, Roosevelt Dime Set, and almost the complete Washington Quarter Set, and only need 2 more to have the silver set complete, I have a few halves and dollars, but not too many. I also like Mexican coins and hope that someday we do Mexico. I have 1,976 coins from 32 nations, about 300 of them are silver, and 2 are gold.
Kristen D. Age 9, Iron Mountain, Michigan
I got into coins because my dad was into coins, we used to go to Canada every year to pick through change. But I like to collect coins of English Nations like Great Britain, Canada, Gibralter, South Africa, Ireland, and all the other nations with the Queen on the coin. I once found a 1732 Irish Half Pence in the parking lot when I was three, but my dad would not let me put into a gum machine. My favorite coin is the 1992 Canada Silver Maple Leaf (my birthday). I have gotten a lot of coins from the people in the E-Bay Chat Room, and someday hope to have a collection like the one my dad sold to keep the house. I have 759 coins from 83 nations.
Thomis M., Age 5, Iron Mountain, Michigan
(Thomis, being the son of Coindude1, and the son of the Troop Leader, has been going to these Girl Scout Meetings since he was 2, and (sadly for his father) considers himself a Girl Scout, so, when he heard about this writing, he was offended that he was not allowed to get involved, as I do not want to be sued by a five year old radical....
I like all coins, especially when I get to go to Canada to pick out my own coins, I also get to go to coin stores with my dad, and he lets me get bags of coins for my world bank. My dad lets me help him take the State Quarters out of the Big Bags of quarters a lot. I have the W dime(1996W Roosevelt Dime) from the year I was born, but I am not allowed to take it out the plastic it came in. I like the big coins (British Crowns), someday I will have a million/billion coins from all of the nations. (his father thinks not) Thomis has a bag fo coins, it drives his father nuts, because Thomis is the only one we can not get to leave coins in mylars, and it was agreed that the members of the Troop would create thier own filing systems.
Lindsey (no initial given), Age 9, Iron Mountain, Michigan
I joined Troop 75 in 2001, and all of the other gorls let me go through thier duplicates so I could catch up, I did not know anything about collecting coins. Todd and Bobbi helped me learn things, at one of these meetings I got to look at a collection somebody sent in(RWB123 loaned us his complete United States Modern Commemorative Collection for this meeting, unfortunatly, he also made me give it back to him), I had never seen gold before and hope to have coins like that when I get older. I get 500 penny's from my mother every week to go through for my Cent collection, and just started a Dime set, all I need now is a 1971, and the 2002p, and 2002d and it will be complete, I like the state quarters too, but all I ever find is Connecticut and South carolina, my mom also saves the State Quarter, and so does my brother. Last April, we all got to go to a coin store in Wisconsin on a field trip, that was fun, they had lots of coins there, and gave every one of us a bag full of foriegn coins, I got a silver half dollar from canada in it. I have 814 coins from 72 nations.
Bobbi M. Troop Leader (if I list her age, I get beat up), Iron Mountain, Michigan
In 1999, when Todd and the others from PCL came to me with the idea of teaching a bunch of 6, 7, and 8 year olds about world coin collecting, I thought they were starting something the Girls would not be interested in, but was absolutly amazed at how well they recieved it. we were originally met with an uphill battle to raise the funds for this project, and I am truly impressed with my ex-husbands determination to keep the whole troop supplied with binders, pages, mylars, catalogs, and coins. They love it! They go crazy everytime he walks in the door with a bag of coins from those who donated via E-Bay, Yahoo, 321gone, Avenue Coins in Green Bay, Unique Coins in Green Bay. These people from PCL have spent hundreds of hours, and thousands of dollars not just getting them coins, but teaching them how to identify coins from other nations, about silver in coins, and they are actually picking up on the history of the nations. We have led the Council for disply on Thinkiing every year, as we always manage to tie a coin/currency display into our presentation. I originally thought that a group of girls (and Thomis of course) would not be interested in this hobby, boy was I wrong! They even have me picking through my change now, but then they take whatever I find away from me. I really have to thank everybody involved, Todd, Dick, Sam, E-Bay, Yahoo, the coin stores, and everybody...you have no idea how much they have appreciated your 'spare change'.
