Coin Collecting Merit Badge History

Earned through 2020524,111

Best year197421,745 earned

All-time popularity#68official, as of 2020#69by 2025 (estimate)

Earned by Year

First earned in 1938. Peak year 1974 with 21,745. Hover over or tap a year for its numbers.

193881 earned#105 of 105

1939399 earned#98 of 106

1940222 earned#101 of 106

1941218 earned#102 of 106

1942258 earned#100 of 110

1943345 earned#97 of 112

1944487 earned#95 of 111

1945519 earned#93 of 111

1946574 earned#92 of 111

1947478 earned#93 of 111

1948587 earned#85 of 111

1949781 earned#80 of 111

19501,209 earned#77 of 111

19511,928 earned#66 of 111

19522,035 earned#71 of 120

19532,208 earned#63 of 105

19543,130 earned#59 of 103

19554,143 earned#53 of 100

19564,761 earned#51 of 100

19575,628 earned#45 of 100

19586,336 earned#44 of 101

19598,513 earned#38 of 101

196011,447 earned#35 of 100

196112,767 earned#35 of 101

196212,412 earned#34 of 101

196312,843 earned#34 of 102

196414,543 earned#32 of 107

196515,069 earned#31 of 109

196614,573 earned#31 of 110

196715,129 earned#32 of 112

196814,267 earned#35 of 112

196914,246 earned#35 of 113

197013,268 earned#36 of 113

197113,010 earned#34 of 113

197212,509 earned#41 of 124

197314,732 earned#36 of 122

197421,745 earned#35 of 121

197520,721 earned#37 of 128

197617,197 earned#40 of 130

197712,344 earned#45 of 130

19788,891 earned#51 of 131

19796,074 earned#56 of 132

19803,801 earned#57 of 132

19815,467 earned#56 of 134

1982No data available

1983No data available

1984No data available

1985No data available

1986No data available

1987No data available

1988No data available

1989No data available

1990No data available

1991No data available

1992No data available

19934,209 earned#72 of 123

1994No data available

1995No data available

19963,599 earned#80 of 134

1997No data available

1998No data available

1999No data available

20005,025 earned#76 of 128

20015,406 earned#70 of 129

20025,023 earned#76 of 129

20034,809 earned#80 of 130

20045,062 earned#80 of 121

20055,011 earned#76 of 121

20065,134 earned#73 of 121

20074,909 earned#78 of 121

20085,895 earned#71 of 121

20097,023 earned#71 of 122

20106,785 earned#71 of 125

20117,052 earned#61 of 129

20126,043 earned#64 of 132

20135,667 earned#55 of 129

20145,303 earned#87 of 136

20154,715 earned#89 of 138

20164,135 earned#95 of 138

20173,930 earned#96 of 139

20184,726 earned#92 of 139

20194,822 earned#90 of 139

20204,639 earned#75 of 137

2021No data available#93 of 137

2022No data available#92 of 138

2023No data available#94 of 138

2024No data available#96 of 138

2025No data available#89 of 141

Known count No data available

"—" means merit badges were earned that year but the exact number is not currently known. "#89 of 141" means the badge was number 89 of the 141 merit badges earned that year. National counts have not been published since 2020, but the rankings have. The grand total comes from official reports and includes the years without a known count. The 2025 all-time place is an estimate, because the counts for 2021 to 2025 are worked out from each year's official ranking and the total number of merit badges earned that year.

193881#105 of 105

1939399#98 of 106

1940222#101 of 106

1941218#102 of 106

1942258#100 of 110

1943345#97 of 112

1944487#95 of 111

1945519#93 of 111

1946574#92 of 111

1947478#93 of 111

1948587#85 of 111

1949781#80 of 111

19501,209#77 of 111

19511,928#66 of 111

19522,035#71 of 120

19532,208#63 of 105

19543,130#59 of 103

19554,143#53 of 100

19564,761#51 of 100

19575,628#45 of 100

19586,336#44 of 101

19598,513#38 of 101

196011,447#35 of 100

196112,767#35 of 101

196212,412#34 of 101

196312,843#34 of 102

196414,543#32 of 107

196515,069#31 of 109

196614,573#31 of 110

196715,129#32 of 112

196814,267#35 of 112

196914,246#35 of 113

197013,268#36 of 113

197113,010#34 of 113

197212,509#41 of 124

197314,732#36 of 122

197421,745#35 of 121

197520,721#37 of 128

197617,197#40 of 130

197712,344#45 of 130

19788,891#51 of 131

19796,074#56 of 132

19803,801#57 of 132

19815,467#56 of 134

1982—

1983—

1984—

1985—

1986—

1987—

1988—

1989—

1990—

1991—

1992—

19934,209#72 of 123

1994—

1995—

19963,599#80 of 134

1997—

1998—

1999—

20005,025#76 of 128

20015,406#70 of 129

20025,023#76 of 129

20034,809#80 of 130

20045,062#80 of 121

20055,011#76 of 121

20065,134#73 of 121

20074,909#78 of 121

20085,895#71 of 121

20097,023#71 of 122

20106,785#71 of 125

20117,052#61 of 129

20126,043#64 of 132

20135,667#55 of 129

20145,303#87 of 136

20154,715#89 of 138

20164,135#95 of 138

20173,930#96 of 139

20184,726#92 of 139

20194,822#90 of 139

20204,639#75 of 137

2021—#93 of 137

2022—#92 of 138

2023—#94 of 138

2024—#96 of 138

2025—#89 of 141

Grand total through 2020:

This page keeps growing. More of this badge's history, including its patches and pamphlets, is being checked and will be added once it is confirmed.

Coin Collecting: workbook data

Printings (74)

Have	Year	Month	Cover	Back	Run	©	BSA #	UPC	HC	Notes
x	1938	February	3D	back-3	2M		3374
x	1938	October	3D	back-3	2M		3374
	1939	not made
x	1940	February	3D	back-3	2M		3374
	1941	not made
x	1942	July	3D	back-3	1M		3374
	1943	not made
x	1944	April	5A	back-5a	2M		3374			also may come in 3d tan
x	1945	April	5B	blank	2M		3374
x	1945	October	5B	blank	2M		3374
x	1946	October	5B	blank	2M		3374
x	1947	July	5B	blank	2M		3374
	1948	not made
	1949	not made
x	1950	January	5B	blank	5M	1949	3374
x	1951	January	5B	blank	5M	1949	3374
x	1952	March	5B	back-6a-1-coin-collecting	4M	1949	3374
x	1953	January	6	back-6a-1-coin-collecting	5M	1949	3374		HCI
x	1953	October	6	back-6a-1-coin-collecting	5M	1949	3374
x	1954	June	6	back-6a-2-coin-collecting	9M	1949	3374
x	1955	May	6	back-6a-2-coin-collecting	10M	1949	3374
c	1956	April	6	back-6a-2-coin-collecting	10M	1949	3374
x	1957	February	6	back-6a-2-coin-collecting	10M	1949	3374
x	1958	February	6	back-6c-coin-collecting	12M	1949	3374
x	1959	January	6	back-6c-coin-collecting	12M	1949	3374		HCJV1
x	1960	January	6	back-6c-coin-collecting	12M	1949	3374
x	1960	August	6	back-6d	15M	1949	3374		HCJV2
x	1961	March	6	back-6d	17M	1949	3374
x	1962	February	6	back-6f	17M	1949	3374		HCJ
x	1963	February	6	back-6g	19M	1949	3374
x	1964	March	6	back-6h	20M		3374
x	1965	March	6	back-6h	20M		3374
x	1966	July	7	back-7	20M	1966	3374		HCL
x	1967	February	7	back-7	20M	1966	3374		HCL
x	1968	February	7	back-7	21M	1966	3374		HCL
x	1968	November	7	back-7	42M	1966	3374		HCM
	1969	not made
	1970	not made
x	1971	June	7	back-7	18M	1966	3374		HCM
x	1972	July	7	back-7	18M	1966	3374
x	1973	May	8A	back-8a	18M	1966	3374
x	1974	January	8A	back-8a	25M	1966	3374
x	1975	September	8B	back-8c-1	19M		3374		HCT
	1976	not made
x	1977	February	8B	back-8c-2	15M	1975	3374
x	1978	March	8B	back-8d	9M	1975	3374		HCU
	1979	not made
x	1980	June	9A	back-9a	6.5M	1975	3390
x	1981	June	9A	back-9a	6.5M	1975	3390
	1982	not made
x	1983	April	9A	back-9a	6.5M	1975	3390
x	1984	May	9A	back-9a	6.5M	1975	3390
x	1985	September	9A	back-9b-2	5.5M	1975	3390
x	1986	July	9A	back-9b-2	6M	1975	3390
x	1987	May	9A	back-9b-2	5M	1975	3390
x	1988	January	9A	back-9b-2	5M	1975	3390
x	1988	November	9A	back-9b-2	6M		3390
x	1989	May	9A	back-9b-2	7M		3390
x	1990	August	9A	back-9c-1	7M		3390
x	1991	August	9A	back-9c-1	7.5M		3390
x	1992	December	9A	back-9c-2	7M		33390	730176333908
	1993	not made
x	1994	April	9A	back-9d	6M		33390	730176333908
x	1995	July	9A	back-9d	5M		33390	730176333908
x	1996	February	9A	back-9d	6M		33390	730176333908
	1997	not made
x	1998		9A	back-9e			33390	730176333908		front states © 1975 30 29 28 27 26 25 24
	1999	not made
x	2000		9A	back-9f			33390	730176333908
x	2000		9A	back-9f			33390	730176333908		2nd printing
x	2001		9A	back-9f			33390	730176333908
x	2002		9B-1	back-9g		2002	33390A	730176333908		2002 Edition / 1-1-2003 inside back cover
	2003	not made
x	2004		9B-1	back-9g		2002	33390A	730176333908
x	2005		9B-1	back-9g		2002	33390A	730176333908
x	2006		9B-1	back-9g		2002	33390A	730176333908
x	2007		9B-2	back-9h-2		2002	33390A	730176333908
x	2008		10A	back-1008b1			35874	730176358741
	2009	not made
x	2010		10C-1	back-1010b1			35874	730176358741
x	2011		10C-1	back-1010b1			35874	730176358741
x	2012		10C-1	back-1010b1			35874	730176358741
x	2013		10C-1	back-1013b1			35874	730176358741		01268-AL
	2014	not made
	2015	not made
	2016	not made
x	2017		10C-2	back-1016b1			637681	730176346410		00432
	2018	not made
x	2019		10D	back-1019b1			637681	730176346410		358
x	2020		10D	back-1019b1			655142	730176351384		358
	2021	not made
x	2022		10D	back-1019b1			655142	730176351384		358
x	2023		10D	back-1019b1			659217	7301766592178		358
x	2024		10D	back-1019b1			661779	7301766617796		00358n
	2025	not made

Earned and rank by year

Year	Earned	Rank	Of
1938	81	105	105
1939	399	98	106
1940	222	101	106
1941	218	102	106
1942	258	100	110
1943	345	97	112
1944	487	95	111
1945	519	93	111
1946	574	92	111
1947	478	93	111
1948	587	85	111
1949	781	80	111
1950	1,209	77	111
1951	1,928	66	111
1952	2,035	71	120
1953	2,208	63	105
1954	3,130	59	103
1955	4,143	53	100
1956	4,761	51	100
1957	5,628	45	100
1958	6,336	44	101
1959	8,513	38	101
1960	11,447	35	100
1961	12,767	35	101
1962	12,412	34	101
1963	12,843	34	102
1964	14,543	32	107
1965	15,069	31	109
1966	14,573	31	110
1967	15,129	32	112
1968	14,267	35	112
1969	14,246	35	113
1970	13,268	36	113
1971	13,010	34	113
1972	12,509	41	124
1973	14,732	36	122
1974	21,745	35	121
1975	20,721	37	128
1976	17,197	40	130
1977	12,344	45	130
1978	8,891	51	131
1979	6,074	56	132
1980	3,801	57	132
1981	5,467	56	134
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993	4,209	72	123
1994
1995
1996	3,599	80	134
1997
1998
1999
2000	5,025	76	128
2001	5,406	70	129
2002	5,023	76	129
2003	4,809	80	130
2004	5,062	80	121
2005	5,011	76	121
2006	5,134	73	121
2007	4,909	78	121
2008	5,895	71	121
2009	7,023	71	122
2010	6,785	71	125
2011	7,052	61	129
2012	6,043	64	132
2013	5,667	55	129
2014	5,303	87	136
2015	4,715	89	138
2016	4,135	95	138
2017	3,930	96	139
2018	4,726	92	139
2019	4,822	90	139
2020	4,639	75	137
2021		93	137
2022		92	138
2023		94	138
2024		96	138
2025		89	141