Requirements
1. Understand how coins are made and where the active U.S. Mint facilities
are located.
2. Explain these collecting terms:
(a) Obverse
(b) Reverse
(c) Reeding
(d) Clad
(e) Type set
(f) Date set
3. Explain the grading terms Uncirculated, Extremely Fine, Very Fine, Fine, Very
Good, Good, and Poor. Show five different grade examples of the same coin type.
Explain the term proof and why it is not a grade. Tell what encapsulated coins are.
4. Know three different ways to store a collection, and describe the benefits,
drawbacks, and expense of each method. Pick one to use when
completing requirements.
5. Do ONE of the following:
(a) Demonstrate to your counselor that you know how to use two U.S. or
world coin reference catalogs.
(b) Read a numismatic magazine or newspaper and tell your counselor
about what you learned.
6. Describe the 1999–2008 50 State Quarters® program or the America the
Beautiful Quarters® program. Collect and show your counselor five different
quarters from circulation you have acquired from one of these programs.
7. Collect from circulation a set of current U.S. coins. Include one coin of each
denomination (cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half dollar, dollar). For each coin,
locate the mint marks, if any, and the designer’s initials, if any.
8. Do the following:
(a) Identify the people depicted on the following denominations of current
U.S. paper money: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.
(b) Explain “legal tender.”
(c) Describe the role the Federal Reserve System plays in the distribution
of currency.
9. Do ONE of the following:
(a) Collect and identify 50 foreign coins from at least 10 different
countries.
(b) Collect and identify 20 bank notes from at least five different countries.
(c) Collect and identify 15 different tokens or medals.
(d) For each year since the year of your birth, collect a date set of a single type
of coin.
10. Do ONE of the following:
(a) Tour a U.S. Mint facility, a Bureau of Engraving and Printing facility, a
Federal Reserve bank, or a numismatic museum or exhibit, and describe
what you learned to your counselor.
(b) With your parent’s permission, attend a coin show or coin club meeting,
or view the website of the U.S. Mint or a coin dealer, and report what
you learned.
(c) Give a talk about coin collecting to a group such as your troop, a Cub
Scout pack, or your class at school.
(d) Do drawings of five Colonial-era U.S. coins.
Resources:
Scouting.org Merit Badges - Requirements
boyscouttrail.com Merit Badges