Aberdeen girl’s coin collection worth a mint
BY KAREN E. BOWES
Staff Writer

PHOTOSBY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Young coin collector Jessica Knueppel, of Aberdeen, holds up her collection of wildlife in foreign currency, a collection that recently won her an award at a convention.

ABERDEEN — For a numismatist, money can buy happiness.

Eleven-year-old Jessica Knueppel, of Aberdeen, is an avid numismatist, or coin collector, with a collection that has won her recognition throughout the state.

“I have a lot of coins from different countries,” said Knueppel, who said her collection of coins and paper money is in the hundreds.

Jessica Knueppel, 11, shows off a 1987 silver penny from her award-winning coin collection.

A student at St. Joseph’s school in Keyport, she began collecting coins at 8 years old.

“I like coins with animals on them,” Knueppel said. “Zambia and Uganda have a lot of nice ones. Nice and heavy. Every one has a different animal. Birds, gorillas, monkeys, horse, oxen. They’re really nice.”

Her love of African coins paid off, so to speak, at the Garden State Numismatic Association convention in May. She won a 1924 silver dollar for her exhibit titled “Interesting Wildlife on Foreign Currency,” and was named Young Numismatist of the Year.

Knueppel’s assortment of Abraham Lincoln currency has also won her numerous prizes, including first place and Best in Show at the Ocean County Coin Club convention, held last September.

“My favorite piece is a 1944 steel penny,” Knueppel said. “During WWII, they ran out of copper, because copper was used for bullets, so they used steel.”

She is also proud of a $5 bill with a star next to Lincoln, which denotes an error.

Knueppel became interested in coin collecting through her uncle, who serves as the vice president of the American Numismatic Association. She regularly improves her collection by attending coin shows.

“It’s fun to get new coins and new bills,” she said.

Her achievements have encouraged other area children to begin coin collections.

“There are a lot of kids now,” said Knueppel, referring to the coin conventions and shows she attends. “But when I first started, it was mostly adults.”