Mark my words. This is a trend that will catch on all over the world! School children are asked to help raise funds for some worthwhile cause. Families contribute a handful of coins. The kids bring the coins to school. But then what?

Most dump the coins in some container requiring someone to count, or cart them off to a coin counting machine, like Coinstar. Sometimes different classes have a competition as to who can contribute the highest amount.

But a primary school in Sheepscombe England is the first I know to use the term "Coin Trail" to form a path of coins laid out in a straight line. I wish I had thought of that term "Coin Trail." Excellent! I can see a competition among classes for the longest line.

Here in the Colonies we have a different name for it -- "Coin Laying." And we have made some long lines: 40 miles by a group in Kansas, and 65 miles for a group in California in 2009. The California group obviously displaced the Kansans in Guinness Book of World Records. Kinda makes those British kids pikers.

I mentioned this in the December 13, 2009 E-Sylum (vol 12, no 13, art 13). I tried to promote this stunt to my boss at Medallic Art one time. We made medals for the Danbury Fair two miles away. I wanted to lay medals from our front door to the Fair gates as a publicity stunt. I got a blistering memo back that should have been printed on asbestos. You will have to click on that in the E-Sylum archive to read it. I am still smarting from that reprimand 41 years ago!

Meanwhile, click on this story of those darling little kids in England:
www.stroudnewsandjournal.co.uk/news/8948340.
Pupils_create_a_coin_trail_to_raise_funds/

Note for future school administrators: Get long strips of cloth. Have the kids lay the coins on the cloth. It is a massive chore to pick up coins afterwards without it.