It's amazing how much we all take for granted....

I was talking to a friend of mine last night. He has three kids. His two oldest, who are now in college, I got interested in coin collecting when they were little. They pursued it for a while, but now have moved on to other things as teenagers.

The interesting thing about this situation is my friend's third child, who is learning disabled and has now taken an interest in coin collecting in a big way. At my suggestion, my friend bought him a cheap album for the State Quarters series. He's gotten most of them out of pocket change in the last couple of months.

He is interacting with others, and excitedly checks through his parents' pocket change daily. He is learning about the designs for each state, and about the different mints and mintmarks. I just packed up the few quarters he's missing to mail to him. I suggested he start on Lincoln Memorial Cents next. My friend is going to Barnes and Noble to buy him the album.

I am constantly amazed about how this hobby of ours can have such a positive impact on kids. And it also really makes me happy to be able to share the hobby I hvae enjoyed for over 40 years with others.