Start your own collection of quarters. By the end of this activity, you’ll have a quarter for each year you’ve been alive.
Grades: Kindergarten for the basic activity; 2nd grade and up for the extra questions in Step 5
Materials: coin holder or binder (optional), pencil, paper
Time: A few days or weeks to collect all the coins
Steps:
- Look for a quarter made the year you were born. Need help to find the year? Review the Parts of a Coin graphic.
- Then, collect a quarter made in each year after. Can you find a quarter for each year? Look around your home; trade quarters with friends or family; make change at a store; or use a coin machine at places like laundromats or arcades.
- As you collect more coins, place them somewhere safe, like a coin holder, coin binder, or coin case. (Get more tips about storing your new coin collection.)
- Once you have most or all of the quarters for each year, lay out your coins.
- Write down some information about your collection. Answer the questions below and keep your responses with your coins for future reference.
- How many coins did you collect?
- How long did it take you to collect a quarter from each year?
- Look at the different designs on your quarters. Since 1999, the U.S. Mint has released new quarter designs every year. Did you find more than one quarter for any one year? If so, do all the quarters have the same design or do they have different designs?
- Even the obverse (heads) of your quarters changed over time. Which year do you see a difference in George Washington’s image on the obverse side of the quarter?
- Which designs or parts of designs do you like the best?
- Will you keep collecting coins with your favorite types of designs?
- Bonus: How much is your new collection worth?