Boy Scouts and the US Mint -- Celebrating 100 Years of Cents-ible Service and Learning.

British General Lord Robert Baden-Powell is generally recognized as the founder of the Scouting Movement in 1905, basing it on several earlier organizations. In 1909 Chicago publisher W. D. Boyce was visiting London. According to legend he became disoriented one foggy day and was assisted to his destination by an unknown Scout. The boy told Boyce that he was simply doing his duty as a Scout. Boyce researched the organiztion, and upon his return to the United States founded the Boy Scouts of America, with operation beginning in 1910.

The BSA's goal is to train youth in responsible citizenship, character development, and self-reliance through participation in a wide range of outdoor activities, educational programs, and, at older age levels, career-oriented programs in partnership with community organizations. Boy Scouting became well-known to America through the years, to the extent that "Boy Scout" became a colloquial term for someone who was honest, dilligent, and patriotic. Some extraordinary individuals earned Scouting's highest rank, Eagle, while still young. Among those people are President Gerald Ford, Former F.B.I. Director William Sessions, former Secretary of Education William Bennett, Senator Bill Bradley, journalist Walter Cronkite, William C. DeVries, M.D (first to transplant a human heart), and film director Steven Spielberg. No less than 32 Astronauts achieved the rank of Eagle.

The Boy Scouts of America is the largest youth organization in the United States, with 2.8 million youth members and 1.1 million adult leaders in the programs of Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Venturing. Since 1910, more than 111 million people have participated in the organization’s traditional programs. The organization was granted a federal charter in 1916 by an Act of Congress signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson.

On May 15, 2008 the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act "To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes." The Senate concurred in September. President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on October 10, 2008.

Numerous designs were offered for both the obverse and reverse of the coin (some of which are pictured here), with competition being somewhat fierece for the honor.

The coin became available March 23, 2010.

The proof 2010 Boy Scouts of America Centennial Silver Dollar is extraordinarily brilliant and features sharp relief and a mirror-like background which highlights the images on both sides of the coin.

The obverse (heads side) depicts a Cub Scout in the foreground with a Boy Scout and female Venturer in the background saluting. Inscriptions are CONTINUING THE JOURNEY, 1910, 2010, IN GOD WE TRUST, and LIBERTY. This design represents the Boy Scouts of America of today, as the organization has recognized the need to include other programs for younger boys (Cub Scouts) and older boys and girls (Venturers).

The reverse (tails) features the Boy Scouts of America’s universal emblem. Inscriptions are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA, BE PREPARED, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and ONE DOLLAR.

Production of the coin is limited to 350,000 coins (across all product options). It is available for purchase through the U.S. Mint.

Author Arthur Haule joined the Boy Scouts of America as a Cub Scout in 1962. He moved on to Boy Scouting in 1965, earning the Coin Collecting Merit Badge the following year working with Counselor Cliff Verity. Art received his Eagle Scout Award in February of 1969 as a member of Troop 342 in Seaford, New York.

Prepping for the National Money Show

I've never attended a major coin show before, but this week I'm privileged to have the American Numismatic Association's National Money Show a mere thirty miles from my house.

Frankly, I'm scared.

I have a 14-year old daughter. I've watched her walk into a clothing store. Her eyes get wide, and she almost loses control. Her head is on a swivel as she scans the store, not really focused on anything in particular and reveling in the entire shopping experience. She moves impulsively from rack to rack in a state of excitement which approaches agitation. When she leaves the store she can't tell you much about its inventory as a whole, but she knows that she liked (or hated) the store and the clothing she saw. She carries one or more items in her hands that she got at a good price, but will probably not be nearly as excited about in a week as she is as she exits the store.

I'm afraid that I'll be that way with the National Money Show in Fort Worth. I'm excited, and that makes me afraid that I'm going to waste the experience.

So, I'm trying to prepare myself for the show.

Priorities are being set. Research into grades and pricing is being performed. A strict budget is being put into place. A strategy is being developed.

As of right now, keys to that strategy include:

1. Don't miss the show itself. Frankly, part of going to Fort Worth is taking in the spectacle of hundreds of coins in one place. It's being around hundreds of people with similar interests, and with a great deal of knowledge about coins and collecting. It's about becoming more enthusiastic about a great hobby.

2. Choose one or two types of coins and become much more familiar with them before walking in the door. The show is only three days long. I don't know that I'll be able to attend all three days, so I need to be sure that I am focusing primarily on specific interests for a good portion of the time. Research ahead of time makes it more likely that I will see and appreciate more, that I will be aware of current trends, and that I will actually walk away better informed than I entered the show because I'll be able to talk knowledgeably with experts. Flying Eagles, Indian Head Cents, and Lincoln Cents will probably be my focus...but I'm always looking for nice Peace Dollars and Walking Liberty Half Dollars as well. If I focus on much more than these, I will probably be extraordinarily unproductive.

3. Have the Tools I Need in Hand. My 5x magnifier and 16x loupe are already on the nightstand where I keep my glasses. I have chosen a couple reference books to accompany me. I have a portfolio in which I can notes made both before and during the show, can carry purchases that I make, and can place business cards that I may pick up. Information, tools, and security are essential for a good show experience.

4. Be Ready to Establish Relationships. Clubs, dealers, and individuals are all of value to me. I need a way to initiate contact with them, or let them make contact with me. I've printed some "business cards" (really just a card with name and e-mail address) to leave with people for that purpose. I'm not a professional numismatist or a dealer, but having some sort of contact method can be extremely helpful.

5. Use Time Wisely. Seminars are great, but they are not the whole reason I'm going. Dealers are wonderful, but they are not the whole reason I'm going. The fellowship of like-minded individuals is great, but again...not the whole reason for traveling to Fort Worth. I've printed out the schedule of events and have identified things that I want to go to. Setting priorities for time use is necessary.

6. Be Happy About What Happens. My wife tells me that I can dwell on missing an opportunity for weeks rather than focusing on the good things that happen. She is probably right. When the show is over, I want to carry the wonderful memories that I an going to develop with me, rather than saying, "If only I'd gone to one more seminar," or "I should have talked with him or her," or even, "If I'd only offered a little more (or less) for that coin and negotiated a little harder..." Expecting to have a good time and then focusing on the positive is REALLY important. It's what makes a hobby fun.

So, those are my thoughts several days before the show. I'll let you know what happens during the show. And I'll let you know what I thought about the show after everything is over...and maybe have some coin images to share!

A Convergence of Two Hobbies

I've been collecting coins since Christmas Day of 1952 when my Grandparents gave me my first coin folders. Two Whitman folders with about thirty slots filled with common dates. It took my Grandfather a while to convince me that this was a good thing...I didn't necessarily believe that thirty cents was a very good Christmas present when I first opened it. A little creative psychology on my Grandfather's part had me on fire for the hobby before I left his apartment that day.

In 1963 I began another hobby. I started playing the violin. (Ironically I only found out after my Grandfather's death that he also played the violin.) I played through public school, then went to college. I founded my college's string quartet, and played first violin for that short-lived ensemble. (I understand it folded after I left the institution.) I've played as an amateur in symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, a string orchestra, an opera company, and numerous smaller ensembles.

Both hobbies have had their high and low points over the course of the years.

Having picked up both hobbies again a couple years back, I was really excited to find the 1967 Austrian 50 schilling piece. On its obverse it portrays Johann Strauss...playing his violin! Whoa! Cool! Not exactly the Harmonic Convergence, but this coin allows me to combine two hobbies that I really enjoy. I had to have one, and it only took about a month to find a coin that I really liked. I acquired it.

Did you ever notice that sometimes the most obvious course of action just never occurs to the folks who are involved? It was that way for me. Just recently I looked into musical instruments on coins, and guess what I found! The 1973 100 shilling piece also portrays Strauss and the violin. So does the 1960 100 schilling note.

Now I'm looking for more. It's not a quest. It's not an obsession. But it is certainly something that is on my mind when I look at coin auctions and attend coin shows. I'll be looking again in Fort Worth at the end of the month when I attend the A.N.A. show. Will I run across something else interesting? Undoubtedly. Will it involve both hobbies? Who knows? But I'll learn and I'll enjoy the things I find!

That's My Two Cents
Art Haule
Coin Collecting: The Hobby of Kings
www.squidoo.com/ICollectCoins