The Owensboro Coin Club is hoping to change perceptions about coin collecting while growing its membership and expanding its impact throughout the community.
Founded in 2015 after an earlier Owensboro coin club dissolved decades ago, the organization has grown to approximately 30 members from throughout western Kentucky and southern Indiana. Under the leadership of President Tony Halcomb, the club has placed a renewed emphasis on community service, youth education, and charitable outreach.
“We need to be serving our community,” Halcomb said. “Coin collecting isn’t just for highly intelligent old men. It’s for everybody. Young and old, boys and girls. It’s our heritage, it’s our history.”
The club meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Kennergy Operations Center, 3111 Fairview Drive. Meetings begin at 6 p.m., though members typically begin arriving around 5:30 p.m. to socialize, discuss recent finds, and prepare items for the club’s member auction.
Annual membership costs $20 for adults and $5 for youth members age 18 and under.
Halcomb said membership has grown steadily since he became president earlier this year.
“When I took over, I think we had about 19 members,” he said. “Now we’re up to around 30, and every month we seem to pick up one or two more.”
Members collect everything from half dollars and Buffalo nickels to rare denominations, paper currency, and foreign coins.
“Each member usually prefers a specific coin,” Halcomb said. “One guy collects 20-cent pieces. Another collects currency. We’re always learning from each other.”
For Halcomb, the hobby began at age 8 after an uncle introduced him to coin collecting.
“Every weekend or every other weekend, he’d take me down to the local coin store and let me pick out a coin,” Halcomb said. “That’s where it all began for me.”
While collecting remains the club’s foundation, Halcomb said community involvement has become a major focus.
Members collect canned goods at every meeting for Crossroads Food Bank, where Halcomb volunteers. The club has donated more than 100 pounds of food this year and awards points toward its annual Member of the Year recognition for members who contribute food or volunteer at community events.
The club also plans to participate in the Homeless Coalition of Ohio Valley’s annual fall festival in October by hosting a hot dog and bean soup fundraiser.
One of the organization’s newest initiatives is the Coin Books for Kids program, designed to introduce young people to coin collecting, history, and financial literacy.
The program recently held its first presentation at the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Owensboro. Participants receive a free copy of the 2026 edition of the “Red Book,” a widely used guide to U.S. coins, along with a historic U.S. coin.
Students learn how to identify, research, and grade coins while exploring the history behind American currency.
“There’s art, there’s history, there’s science, what the coins are made of, mathematics, economics,” Halcomb said. “There are so many aspects of education that coin collecting involves.”
The program was originally conceived by former club treasurer George “Rusty” Hagan III. Halcomb said he was able to tell Hagan that the program had become a reality shortly before Hagan’s death.
“I witnessed the greatest joy I have ever seen in my life,” Halcomb said.
Following Hagan’s passing, his family donated numerous items to the club, including the first 50 Red Books used in the program, more than two pounds of sterling silver, and other coin-collecting materials.
Halcomb is working to expand the program through partnerships with Daviess County Public Schools, Owensboro Public Schools, private schools, Girls Inc., the Opportunity Center, Rotary Club of Owensboro, and other organizations.
The club has also become a member of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce and is exploring grant opportunities to support future educational and community initiatives.
Additional fundraising efforts are planned throughout the year, including a family-friendly magic show this summer and sales of commemorative 2026 Enduring Liberty Semiquincentennial half dollars celebrating America’s 250th anniversary.
Halcomb said the club’s goal is not only to preserve the hobby but also to create opportunities for education, service, and community engagement.
“The more the merrier,” he said. “We’re trying to get people interested and show them that coin collecting can teach you a lot about history and about the world around you.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the Owensboro Coin Club can attend a monthly meeting or contact Halcomb at 270-316-8866.
The Chamber Member of the Week program is a Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce membership benefit. Founded in 1913, the Chamber has worked to provide valuable benefits and services to member businesses and individuals for over a century.
Today, with nearly 1,000 members, the Chamber is a guiding force in community and business development initiatives and serves as the center of business advocacy for the Greater Owensboro region.
To learn more about becoming the Chamber Member of the Week or inquire about Chamber membership, contact Kitty Jones, director of membership, at 270-926-1860 or kjones@owensboro.com.
By John Kirkpatrick The Owensboro Times