Five Questions Answered by Kenny Sammut

1. When and why did you become a coin collector?
Back in 2007, my father purchased some of the newly releasedPresidential Dollars. I immediately took an interest to them andstarted to flip through the Red Book. Although at my age (Iwas only 5 or 6), I only truly understood values and dollar signs,however over time I grew to appreciate their history and designs.After a while, I decided to branch out into world coins. I startedto skim the phone book sized Krause catalogues and fell in lovewith the beautiful designs. And over the years, I have branchedout even further and now I know a little bit about exonumiaand numismatic literature.

2. What are you currently collecting?
My main focus is on world coins. I do not focus on any country in particular; instead,I purchase whatever catches my eye. Historical context also plays a big role in what Ipurchase as I love connecting stories with my collection. A of mineincludes presidential campaign tokens, medals, and pins as they are rich in history.

3. What one thing has coin collecting taught you that you might havenever learned otherwise?
Numismatics has taught me numerous business techniques. Along with my collecting,I run a numismatic eBay store where I sell world coins, US coins, tokens, medals, otherexonumia, numismatic literature, and more.

4. Who has been most helpful in your personal coin collecting journey?
I have been fortunate over the years to have many numismatic mentors. A local coindealer, George Mavrelos, owner of Pennies, Pounds, and Pesos in Media, Pennsylvania,has taught me so much since I was a fledgling coin collector. You can pick up anycoin in his shop and he would tell you what was happening in that country at the timethe coin was minted as well as interesting stories about the coin itself. I have learnedso much history from him. Should I open up my own store someday, I would hopeto be as interesting as Mr. George. Mrs. Pam and Mr. Dave Stitlely have also played amonumental part in my numismatic upbringing by supporting my love for the hobbyand to help me become more involved with the local clubs and associations. They arecommitted to introducing and helping YNs get excited about the hobby as they knowthese children will become the future of our hobby.

And I can't go without mentioning Ken Bressett. I have been fortunate to attend theANA Summer Seminar since I was 13. The ANA has a wonderful scholarship programand this is how I met Mr. Ken. He is so giving of his time and his excitement aboutcollecting is very contagious. As I have gotten older, he and I have spent more timetogether during the seminar. I would love to accomplish one tenth of what he has. He isamazing.

5. You're the ANA President, name one thing you would do to makecoin collecting more attractive to young people?
If I were the ANA president, I would have the ANA along with the US Mint and someyounger actors, who are popular with children, create videos showing the manybenefits and fun young people can have collecting coins. Benefits include learning history, math, politics, and geography as well as helping them with their reading andorganizational skills.

Additionally, there is a story behind just about every coin. These stories can be told in away a child will understand and will hopefully make the coin so much more than a coin.The younger child may not even realize he/she is learning about history, geography, andall of the other educational benefits. The older child will and for some they will becomeavid collectors and may even do better in history. Parents will appreciate that andhopefully support the child's new interest in coins.

As kids are visual and want to do things, the young actors will be a key in helpingchildren see coin collecting as something they should try. Contests and rewards canbe set up by the ANA and the US Mint. Parents can be given ideas on having their owncontests and rewards for their children or grandchildren.

These videos might get children talking about coins and if the contests were fun andachievable it may generate some friendly competition amongst friends and turnenough of them into long term avid collectors so our hobby will continue andgrow for many years to come.

Some background information:

For more information about the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists, see:
https://pancoins.org/