Scout Ahead https://www.scoutahead.org/plans/collections-merit-badge

Collections Merit Badge

Seven requirements about a collection of your own (not stamps or coins), with the written report, the four parts of preserving and displaying (preserving drawn before displaying), the investing discussion summarized as one step, and the six parts of requirement 5 drawn as steps.

8 steps (10 parts inside them). · Version 1, published 8 October 2026 · About Collections Merit Badge

This is the whole plan: everything that could apply to anybody.

14 steps can be started now; 1 is waiting on something else.

Clear ticks

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The steps

Stage 1 of 8

1 step, all ticked

  • 1. A short written report or outline on your collection Requirement

    A detailed description, including a short history, why you enjoy it, what you have learned from collecting, and why you chose that type of collection or collecting method.

    The Hub states: "Stamp and coin collecting are excluded from eligibility for this merit badge." Choose a different kind of collection for this one.

Stage 2 of 8

1 step

Stage 3 of 8

1 step

Stage 4 of 8

1 step

  • 4. Collecting and investing, discussed Requirement

    Discuss with your counselor (a) how investing and speculation would apply to your collection; (b) what you would look for in purchasing other collections similar to yours; (c) what you would expect in return value if you sold all or part of it.

Stage 5 of 8

1 step

Stage 6 of 8

1 step

Stage 7 of 8

1 step, all ticked

  • 7. A career in collecting, researched Requirement

    Find out about career opportunities in collecting, pick one and find out the education, training and experience it requires. Discuss it with your counselor, and explain why it might interest you.

Stage 8 of 8

1 step

  • Counselor signs it off Milestone

    The completion date is the date you met the requirements, not the date of the signature.

    Usually comes after 2. The growth and development of your collection, 3. Preserving and displaying your collection and 3 others.

    Merit badge requirements are republished annually. A Scout beginning work uses the requirements as they stand then; a Scout already working may finish under the ones they started with. Guide to Advancement 7.0.4.3 governs which applies. This page records the date its copy was read. Check it against the official page before relying on it.

This plan is a planning aid: the current Boy Scouts of America publication is always the authority, and the sources used here are listed in full. Each step names its own.