Some hobbies are gained later in life, and some fizzle out with age, but for senior Christian Afman, one in particular has stuck with him almost all his life. From childhood to early adulthood, Christian has been collecting pennies. While it might seem trivial from an outside perspective, his hobby has served as an outlet for personal and social growth. To Christian, in particular, his personal interest in pennies was derived from his relationship with his grandfather.
“When I was younger, [my grandpa] gave me a few pennies, like some older, cooler pennies from the 1800s,” Christian said. “That kind of sparked my interest in it. I like doing it; it does connect me to my grandpa a little bit. It [helps] us bond a little bit, and I do it for fun.”
While his passion may have been sparked through family connections, once put on the path by his grandfather, his hobby grew through personal cultivation. The first interesting penny he found in particular only reinforced his enjoyment of the pursuit.
“I really got into penny collecting because one of the very first pennies I found was very old. It was a 1893 penny,” Christian said. “After that, I got really into it for fun.”
With Christian’s collection being not only the catalyst for personal growth but also rooted in personal bonds, it’s evident why his passion has stuck with him all this time. Over the years, he’s been able to improve his collection steadily without direct daily intention. Having found many additions to his collection, Christian has grown a subjectively successful library.
“I have a few hundred [pennies], I would say like unique ones,” Christian said. “They range from the end of the 1800s to like 2000.”
Due to the merit of Christian’s collection, it is fair to assume the assortment of coins could warrant financial worth. It’s assumed that most people with similar hobbies do so for financial gain; however, Christian’s passion isn’t fueled through similar means, but rather personal enjoyment. While that may be true, Christian still inspects the value of his pennies before adding them to his assemblage.
“I can kind of assume it’s more valuable if it’s just older or a misprint penny,” Christian said. “Misprint pennies are when there’s printing errors, like if 1900 had three zeros.”
After starting to collect coins, as of Nov. 2025, penny production in the United States came to a stop. Perhaps in the future, this could add to the rarity of pennies. However, due to the appeal of the coins being their age, Christian found this to be rather trivial.
“I suppose [the stopped production] could add to the coins’ value,” Christian said. “But that probably wouldn’t happen for a while.”
As Christian continues to pursue this hobby, it’s evident that the positive mentality and connections that prosper as a result of it. With the roots of this hobby being inspired by his grandfather, penny collecting could become a family tradition to bring different generations together. Taking such hobbies that some may consider trivial and adding personal worth to them is what makes a hobby fun and truly last.
“I think I might continue the tradition with my children or grandchildren,” Christian said. “It could be fun to share that hobby with them and bond over it.”
