Bag of Wheat Cents

I have a small canvas bag of old dirty beat up wheat cents that I have no use for. I think I'm going to go through it one more time to ensure that there is nothing in there worth keeping...but once that is done I don't want them. The bag probably weighs 7 or 8 pounds (I don't have a scale and am a poor judge of weight). Does anyone have any suggestion for the best way to dispose of them? I don't want to dump them in a change machine (seems like a waste) but I doubt a dealer would want them. Are junk wheat cents in bulk worth anything?

Also, please don't respond with "give them to me." I know that is the first thought that will come to several of your minds. I'm looking for a convenient and simple way to get rid of them. I don't want to ship them anywhere.

 

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Yes, you can put them on eBay and expect three to five times face.

 

Maybe you could give them to a youngster...get him/her interested in coins.

 

Hmmm, perhaps at your new practice you could offer them to youngsters that come in as prizes for being good patients?

 

I honestly love that idea.

 

How about a local YN club getting them?

That would be neat.

 

+2

I think a lot of kids would think it's cool if you give them a short explaination of why the coin is significant or what makes it special. Never know, you may spawn a new generation of collectors.

 

I think the scouts get a patch for coin collecting. Find your local scout troop and donate them maybe.

 

They do. Here's the requirements for earning the Coin Collecting Merit Badge:


[h=3]Requirements for the Coin Collecting merit badge:[/h]

1. Understand how coins are made, and where the active U.S. Mint facilities are located.
2. Explain these collecting terms:
   1. Obverse
   2. Reverse
   3. Reeding
   4. Clad
   5. Type set
   6. Date set
3. Explain the grading terms Uncirculated, Extremely Fine, Very Fine, Fine, Very Good, Good, and Poor. Show five different grade examples of the same coin type. Explain the term proof and why it is not a grade. Tell what encapsulated coins are.
4. Know three different ways to store a collection, and describe the benefits, drawbacks, and expenses of each method. Pick one to use when completing requirements.
5. Do the following:
   1. Demonstrate to your counselor that you know how to use two U.S. or world coin reference catalogs.
   2. Read a numismatic magazine or newspaper and tell your counselor about what you learned.
6. Describe the 1999-2008 50 State Quarters Program. Collect and show your counselor five different quarters you have acquired from circulation.
7. Collect from circulation a set of currently circulating U.S. coins. Include one coin of each denomination (cent, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, dollar). For each coin, locate the mint marks, if any, and the designer's initials, if any.
8. Do the following:
   1. Identify the people depicted on the following denominations of current U.S. paper money: $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100.
   2. Explain "legal tender."
   3. Describe the role the Federal Reserve System plays in the distribution of currency.
9. Do ONE of the following:
   1. Collect and identify 50 foreign coins from at least 10 different countries.
   2. Collect and identify 20 bank notes from at least five different countries.
   3. Collect and identify 15 different tokens or medals.
   4. For each year since the year of your birth, collect a date set of a single type of coin.
10. Do ONE of the following
11. 1. Tour a U.S. Mint facility, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing facility, a Federal Reserve bank, or a numismatic museum or exhibit, and describe what you learned to your counselor.
    2. With your parent's permission, attend a coin show or coin club meeting, or view the Web site of the U.S. Mint or a coin dealer, and report what you learned.
    3. Give a talk about coin collecting to a group such as your troop, a Cub Scout pack, or your class at school.
    4. Do drawings of five Colonial-era U.S. coins.

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/boy-scouts/meritbadges/coincollecting.asp

 

Holy cow, I don't think I know all of those answers, nor can complete all of those requirements! (50 foreign coins! ) That's one tough badge to get!

 

I could get that patch, but I am not a scout. Haha thanks for the extra info. That or the dental prize gets my vote.

 

A free roll for every cavity....to boost business !

 

I will take all you have!

 

I vote to give them to kids. I know that I loved to get coins when I was younger. Well, then again, I still like to get free coins...... Maybe you could take the bag to the senior center, have them pick out a coin, and then tell you what they remember from that year

 

I got that badge when I was in scouts 40+ years ago. That would be a really nice thing to do help some kids get that, or start up collecting. Having a "mentor" to help them find the right resources is really cool.

 

unsearched Wheat Cents sell on eBay for about $8 a roll. 7 pounds is probably about 20-22 rolls. But I think you could donate them to a local Boy Scout troup to be awarded maybe 25 random ones at a time to each scout who gets a coin collecting Merit Badge.

 

Actually, requirement 9, you choose one of those 4 items to complete.

 

Better yet, we have a BST here. Reasonably you can ask 4X face for them and expect takers. That way you don't get eaten alive by fees. Sell 'em on the BST and use your savings to that exotic car for your young wife.