What to do with not-so-great-coins

Now folks, this is a serious discussion...

I have been wondering what to do with all these not so great steel cents I have gotten from small and large bags of coins. The steelies are not the best in the world, but they could still put a smile on the face of someone who hasn't seen one in many years, or someone who has never seen one.

Now when I roll up cents for a trip to the bank I am going to put in an extra coin or two in each roll. This will include the steelies and whatever else I have that won't fit in my collection.

jeankay

 

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Good idea. I am not young but I still enjoy finding them myself.

 

That is a wonderful thing to do what bank are you bringing them to, so i could get that one cent. Just kidding ,again that's a nice thing your doing seriously .

Jazzcoins Joe:whistle:

 

Do you have any young kids in your extended family ? Nephews / nieces etc ?

I've had great times with mine sitting around a table with some Whitman blue albums and a bunch of old cents.

 

Slightly Off Topic, but what is so special about steel cents - besides their composition?

I've seen people selling rolls of wheaties and they add something like: "And I've thrown in a few steelies too!!!" like it was something special.

What's up with that?

 

You could send some of them them to me.

 

Here you go freaky

Jazzcoins Joe:bow:

 

I think just because they are different. People who buy those rolls off eBay with adds like that are usually newer collectors...and since you don't see them often in circulation, they are interesting. They have a special place in my heart, when I was young I was looking at my dad's small collection he had put together 30 or 40 years ago out of circulation(using those little cardboard Whitman folders) and I loved those 1943 steel cents, that's what got me interested in coin collecting.

 

Over the years I've given away several hundred of them. I used to sell (mainly not coins) at flea markets. Whenever a kid came by that stopped to look at what I had I'd just hand him a '43 cent. This may or may not have sparked an interest in them. Also, at coin shows, when I see a kid wandering around looking with interest at things he's years away from being able to buy on his own, I'll hand him a steelie. This has a lot larger effect than handing out a copper cent (even a wheatie) or even a nickel or a dime.

BTW, the cent in my signature is a 1942 (not 1943) steel cent.

 

Great idea jeankay , I usually just go up to some young kids parents and ask if I could give their kid a coin , whatever I have in my pocket at the time , I always try to have a couple of coins like Buffalos or Indian cents that don't fit in to my collection , usually the parents eyes light up as much or more than the kids .
rzage

 

DAVIDH and ZRAGE, you guys are what it's all about. Where were you when I was a kid? zg

 

Probably in Chicago
rzage:thumb:

 

I'd say sell them, but giving them away sounds great too!

 

There is more than one way to peak a kid's interest in coin collecting.

To take it a step farther, last year I gave out little baggies of coins, $1.00 total, to each trick or treater. Some had Ikes, Sacs, SBA's, Kennedy's, etc. I figured the parents will help the little ones count their coins, and maybe the older kids could use an extra dollar. The parents really liked the idea of money instead of junk.
Yes, I know, if you get hundreds of trickers at your house, then candy might be better for the old pocket book.

I also started my grand daughter's best friend on a Lincoln collection. Her mother says the ten year old loves her collection and takes good care of it. A Whitman album and a couple dozen cents and I might have gotten a child interested in collecting.
For myself, I like to mentor youngsters with wholesome past times, whether it is art, collecting, sports, or music, or anything else that will keep them busy and off the streets.
Thanks for all the great replies...
jeankay

 

I have a plastic container ( top of a 100 cd spindle) that I toss all common wheats, including the 43s, and cull indians, and they go to the club's YN draw. Each meeting they get to take 5 coins from the pot. We had better get more YNs or I had better stop buying "pigs in a mint bag".

Jim

 

They're novel. Different.

I think that appeals to the psyche of the collector's mindset. It seems many of us are drawn to the unusual.

 

Why not flip 'em on ebay for $.10 each? Nah! Just kidding! That's a great idea! May get some people interested into our hobby! Props to you!

 

Good job on getting some YN prospects! If you have any left over, and are looking for something new to do, have a mystery contest here. Keep it up!

 

Good idea to put those you don't want back for others to find, and I use to do just that. Now I buy Whitman folders and put a few lincolns and wheat cents in them then give them to the tellers at the local banks to give to the kids that come in with there parents. It's a win win venture, the kids may start collecting to finish the folder, the parents are happy with the tellers and the tellers help supply me with some nice rolls of coins. So far this year there has been 50 cent folders, 20 nickel folders, 20 quarter folders and 25 state quarter folders given to local kids. The cost has been worth it if any of these folders starts even one child collecting.
Bill

 

Kids and Coins