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(NC)-First of all, look around for coins - any coins - and put them in a safe place. A good spot to find the first coins for your collection is right in your pocket. You might find some of the 25-cent coins that the Royal Canadian Mint made for the Millennium. Or the special 50-cent coin commemorating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Maybe your parents or grandparents have some loose change they could spare to help you start.

Here's another idea: Take your allowance to the bank and buy a roll of coins, then keep the ones you need for your collection. Or check out the newest and coolest coins at the Mint's website (www.mint.ca/en/RoyallyCool/FunFacts) and start your collection with some 'Royally Cool Money.'

Whatever you decide, make sure to keep your coins in a safe place - like in a small jar with a lid or ask your Mom or Dad to hold onto them for you. And always remember, some of the biggest and best coin collectors in Canada started with just a few pennies!

Next - find out what coins you have and make a list. The experts call this part "compilation." To make sense of your cents take out a sheet of paper - graph paper is best. On one side make a list of years. Start anywhere you want - 1900 or 1967 or maybe the year Grandpa or Grandma was born. It's up to you. Then check the dates on your coins and check off those years on the sheet of paper. This may not sound like heaps of fun, but you'd be surprised. You just might find a coin that's really old or has some special mark on it that makes it worth a lot more than you thought!

Once you've compiled, its time to classify and conserve your coins. This means putting the same kind of coins together - like, for example, coins from the same year. Conservation refers to taking care of your collection.

These three simple steps are your ticket to a wide new world of fascinating people and places. Think of it as your own personal Canadian treasure, rich with stories about the incredible history, spectacular geography and unique symbols that make Canada a special place in which to live.

- News Canada