Scouting/BSA/Coin Collecting Merit Badge

The requirements to this merit badge are copyrighted by the Boy Scouts of America. They are reproduced in part here under fair use as a resource for Scouts and Scouters to use in the earning and teaching of merit badges. The requirements published by the Boy Scouts of America should always be used over the list here. If in doubt about the accuracy of a requirement, consult your Merit Badge Counselor.

Reading this page does not satisfy any requirement for any merit badge. Per National regulations, the only person who may sign off on requirements is a Merit Badge Counselor, duly registered and authorized by the local Council. To obtain a list of registered Merit Badge Counselors, or to begin a Merit Badge, please contact your Scoutmaster or Council Service Center.

1. Understand how coins are made, and where the active U.S. Mint facilities are located.

2. Explain these collecting terms:

         a. Obverse  - The head of a coin
         b. Reverse  - The back of a coin
         c. Reeding  - The reeded edge of a coin is the grooved lines that encircle the perimeter of certain coins
         d. Clad     - Clad coinage is a term used to describe coins that have a core of one type of metal and an outer layer of another metal or metals
         e. Type set - Collection of coins of one denomination
         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 expenses of each method. Pick one to use when completing requirements.

5. Do 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. Collect and show your counselor five different quarters you have acquired from circulation.

7. Collect from circulation a set of currently circulating 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, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, or a Federal Reserve bank, 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 Web site of the U.S. Mint or a coin dealer, and report what you learned. 
         c. Give a talk about coin collecting to your troop or class at school. 
         d. Do drawings of five Colonial-era U.S. coins.