Collections Merit Badge
Seven requirements, all about a collection of your own, which may not be stamps or coins. A written report or outline (1), its growth (2), preserving, displaying, events and cataloging (3), investing (4), and in 5 its terms, two groups shown to your counselor, its value, grading, associations and identification marks. Then your future plans (6) and a career (7).
The plan behind this
Which collections count
The Hub's note: "Stamp and coin collecting are excluded from eligibility for this merit badge." Those have badges of their own.
It also says to follow the Leave No Trace Seven Principles and the Outdoor Code on field trips and when collecting specimens, to have the land manager's permission before taking any samples, that collecting is prohibited in most National and State Parks, and that pictures or sketches may suffice for a collection.
What you show and write
| requirement | what it needs |
|---|---|
| 1 | a short written report or outline: a detailed description of your collection, a short history, why you enjoy it, what you have learned, and why you chose that type of collection or collecting method |
| 5(b) | any two groups from your collection shown to your counselor, with how and why you organized it; photographs if it is too large to transport and your counselor cannot view it directly |
| 5(e) | a list of the national, state or local associations related to your collection |
Preserving and displaying, 3
3(a) is the precautions to preserve your collection, including handling, cleaning and storage. 3(b) is how best to display it, keeping in mind the preserving discussed in 3(a), so do 3(a) first. 3(c) is the events for a hobbyist of your collection, and 3(d) is how you keep track of it and your cataloging method.
Collecting and investing, 4
One discussion with your counselor: how investing and speculation would apply to your collection, what you would look for in buying similar collections, and the return value you would expect if you sold all or part of it.
What this page is
The Collections merit badge, drawn so everything is about your own collection, with preserving drawn before displaying and the two groups you show your counselor marked. It is not a copy of the requirements: each step is a short label with a link to the official requirements, which are what actually governs and which change from year to year. The free official pamphlet is the fuller guide.
Sources for this page
- Collections Merit Badge Requirements, Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-09-19 · The requirements themselves, and the free official pamphlet linked from them.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.0.3 · The process every merit badge is earned through, which this page does not repeat.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.4.3 · Which version of a changed requirement applies to a Scout who has already started.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.0.0.1 · Why the requirements are not in the Guide to Advancement and are expected to change annually.
Last checked against its sources on .