S.B.
My in laws get a buy a silver dollar with the year on it (it's a certified coin, that is basically giving them an ounce of silver each year). They do it every year. The kids get a toy to open and in the card is the cloth bag with the encased coin. The in laws say the kids can have their collection when they graduate, until then I am supposed to watch it. On their first birthday they got two coins, one with their birth year and one with the year of their first birthday. My in laws say the kids can choose what to do with them when they are older. If silver does well, it can help pay for college. If the kids want, they will have an interesting keepsake to hold on to. I plan on making the birth year coin into a money clip for my son and a necklace for my daughter when they graduate and I pass their collections on to them. I like it. It's not a burden to store, it;s something different, sentimental and may be valuable.