Daniel Gliedman, Age 14, New York: Honorable Mention

How I Became Interested In Coin Collecting

Fast-forward 150 years into the future. A new coin-collector acquires a coin that you had used in 2012 to buy something. When you spent it, it didn't have a lot of meaning, but in 2162, it's that future collector's favorite piece. Every time I buy a coin, I think about this amazing possibility. For as long as I can remember, my father has collected stamps. He's always derived such happiness from his collection. When I was thinking about a hobby of my own, I wanted to pick something that would similarly bring me that much joy.

When I thought about what kind of hobby I wanted to pursue, I asked my family and they suggested a number of great options. I thought about all of them, but I had no idea which one was right for me. In order to narrow down the choices, I laid them all out and then wrote down the pros of each one. One of the main reasons that I chose coins was because of the history my collection could contain. I decided to collect American coins of all denominations and of various types. This way I could experience many years of our nation's history. I think it's fascinating that coins were around to see some of the extremely important events that have shaped our country.

The second reason that I chose to collect coins was because I love the artwork displayed on each piece. They are usually not thought of as "real" art --- but they are! I take art classes myself, so I can truly appreciate the hard work that goes into creating them. When I show my coins to my friends, I always make them stop to admire the extreme amounts of detail they contain. Each one is like a tiny work of art unto itself.

Before I actually started to buy some coins of my own, I wanted to learn more and make sure that this hobby was definitely for me. The way I did this was by buying a book on the topic. I studied the fundamentals. Afterwards I bought "The Official Red Book" in order to make sure that I knew what the coins were worth. After I had learned about grading and pricing, I decided to test my knowledge on some of my coins (Wheat Back pennies passed down to me from my parents). I also decided to document my inventory by writing it down in a notebook. Finally, I was ready to actually buy some coins for myself!

In the end, although I was the one that wanted to start collecting coins, I could not have been able to experience any of it without the help of my family. Ultimately, collecting coins has introduced me to a new, beautiful way of learning about our country's history. It has also given me a great hobby that I will cherish for many years to come.

Bob's comments: Daniel's comment about "the extreme amounts of detail" that coins exhibit made me smile. As you can imagine, Heritage advertises in many different publications, and in several which feature high-quality paper, I run occasional ads showing an enlargement of the detail from a particular design. I believe that Heritage's photography is second to none, and that helps explain why we set such high prices in our auctions. Seeing is appreciating. What intrigues me is that even after all of my decades looking at coins, I will often see some new detail under the extreme enlargements possible at HA.com. Yes, Daniel, "Each one is like a tiny work of art unto itself."

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