Growing our hobby starts at an individual level...and thank you

I'm often asked what it will take to get younger people involved in coin collecting.

For me, I followed a pretty normal path where my grandma gave me some old coins when I was 7. At 10 I started reading Coin World and a few years later I checked out a local coin club show. As I became absorbed in coins, it started to make more sense that it would become my career.

Throughout each step of my collecting journey, people were there to provide encouragement and guidance.

Simply put: it starts at the individual level.

Over the past six years at Coin World , I have had a chance to work with individuals who have made me sharper, wiser and have provided me an entirely new lens from which I can consider our hobby.

Crafting each weekly and monthly edition of Coin World is the work of a team and each staff member has put his or her heart in the stories that appear in our pages. The same can be said for those who work behind the scenes to help Coin World remain both readable and viable.

Knowing that Bill Gibbs will be leading the staff going forward in his new role as managing editor gave me the confidence I needed to move into a newly created editor-at-large role.

Since 1976, Bill has been a backbone of Coin World . He leads by example, always making sure that quality and accuracy define our stories. I'll continue to work closely with the brand and with Bill so that Coin World - both in print and online - can continue to meet the needs of our hobby and our readers.

For me, stepping into an editor-at-large role made sense since the one thing I was missing at Coin World was actually physically working with coins. It's one thing to share wonderful stories about the history of coins and our hobby, but as a collector at heart, there are few things that beat the experience of handling a coin.

My most meaningful moments in the hobby have come from introducing people to our hobby and helping people engage in it, and this new role will allow more of these interactions. When you see me at a coin show, make sure you say hi! I'm always excited to talk coins.

Which brings me back to the original question: What will it take to make young people interested in the hobby?

The American Numismatic Association has provided me with my foundation in numismatics, so why not spread the wealth?

If you're a young numismatist (which means you're under 18) or want to introduce a YN to the hobby, let me know! I'll pay for a new one-year Gold ANA membership to the first 50 YNs who reach out to me by email at sroach@coinworld.com and let me know what they like about coin collecting.

I'll end by saying thank you: to our staff, columnists, contributors and our many readers.

My personal journey in numismatics has been more than I could ever have imagined as a 10-year-old reading Coin World , and thankfully, it is far from over.