#FreeCoinDay Is Another Opportunity to Put Numismatics in the Spotlight

Why are hundreds of coin dealers and thousands of collectors being encouraged to give away rare and collectible coins this holiday season? Dealers from across the country are getting into the Christmas spirit by giving away free coins at their shops on Saturday, December 18, Free Coin Day, and by dropping silver dollars and gold coins into Salvation Army buckets this December.

In the midst of a nationwide coin shortage, a coin collecting association is once again taking the nation by storm. Inspired by the Great American Coin Hunt in 2019, which prompted collectors and dealers to dump over 1 million collectible coins into circulation, there is a brand-new program this holiday season.

This new program is a spin-off of the Great American Coin Hunt and has been dubbed the most broad reaching philanthropic campaign in numismatic history. Major numismatic organizations such as RoundTable Trading, the United States Mint, American Numismatic Association, CoinWeek, CoinWorld and PNG are encouraging hundreds of coin dealers and thousands of coin collectors to give away rare and collectible coins for the inaugural #Coins4Christmas week and #FreeCoinDay.

This inaugural event will kick off Monday, December 13, 2021, ending in the grand finale on “Free Coin Day” Saturday, December 18, 2021.

Collectors nationwide are being encouraged to participate in Coins4Christmas in a few different ways:

1. By leaving rare and collectible coins as tips, in public places and gifting them to unsuspecting strangers in places like malls and grocery stores.
2. By wrapping rare coins like silver dollars in a note and dropping them in Salvation Army buckets.
3. By encouraging family and friends to use rare coins as stocking stuffers this year.
4. This program will come to its grand finale on Saturday, December 18 when participating coin shops across America give away free collectible coins on Free Coin Day.

Rob Oberth, Founder of RoundTable Trading and Great American Coin Hunt and who is spearheading this initiative, says: “This is a completely different initiative than the Great American Coin Hunt. The goal of the coin hunt was to encourage rare coins to be placed into circulation, essentially spending coins that were worth many multiples of their face value as regular change. This time, we intend to place these rare coins directly into the hands of the public. We are very excited to have initiated what has become a viral nationwide event.”

The goal is to inspire a new generation of coin collectors to participate in a hobby that has many rewarding attributes.

"When I was 7 years old, a girl walked up to me on the street and gave me an Indian Head cent, a simple act that started my numismatic journey," said Mark Salzberg, NGC Chairman. "It's important to remember that, sometimes, a single coin can mean a world of difference to someone, and that's what #FreeCoinDay is all about."

Kim Kiick, Executive Director of the American Numismatic Association, agreed, saying: “So many of us are happy to share our pocket change at this time of year. What a great opportunity to also share interest in the art and history of coinage with our families, friends and communities!”

Those interested in participating are encouraged to post on social media using the hashtags #FreeCoinDay and #Coins4Christmas. They are also asked to contact their local coin shops and ask them to participate in this celebration of coins.

For more information on #FreeCoinDay, follow @FreeCoinDay on Facebook or visit www.FreeCoinDay.com.

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Jeff Garrett: Promote Numismatics for the Holidays with #FreeCoinDay