I have quite a few Lincoln Wheat pennies...the vast majority of which aren't particularly rare nor are they in particularly great condition. I would bet that when my grandfather and father were having fun collecting in the late 1950's and early 1960's, these pennies were in abundance and they enjoyed getting rolls from the bank to sort through. My question is what to do with these pennies aside from putting them back in storage for another 8+ years. Redbook would value most of these around 15-50 cents, which I'm assuming is more than most would pay. Is there even a market for these coins? James
Hi James..... Not to be a stick in the mud, but bulk common wheat cents bring closer to .04-.05 cents each. A year back I helped a friend liquidate his late fathers collection. He had so many wheats that I had to carry them out with a hand truck. They were sold by weight which amounted to just under .05 cents each. Yeah, people love them. Just not a lot of value in them really.
I agree with Randy. They will not bring any tangible money. Either keep them, or sell them in bulk for a couple of dollars for a big lot.
I was fortunate enough to have 13 grandkids and 20 great grandkids to unload my accumulation of wheats and buffalos. And, in over 70 years, I had a bunch. You can't get much for them.
If you're greedy you can try to sell them on EBAY or ETSY and charge a small fortune for postage! I have several and plan to keep them just because I like them. There are a few Key or semi-key wheats that do demand more than most. Here is a link to a site that might help you with that. http://www.lincolncentresource.com/keydates.html
Knowledgeable numismatists (like those who commented here) know the real market value, for sure. But there are many in the public who have no idea and may pay more, simply for their old-time, "yester-year" nostalgic value. If you can come up with an entire set from 1909 to 1958, you might be able to sell them on eBay for about $10-$12.(*) That reminds me. A company called Danbury Mint creatively packs AVERAGE CIRCULATED coins in "very nice boxes" and then sells them for a lot of money. See link below. They want about $28 (20 British Pounds) for every four pennies (on a subscription). LOL. (Granted, they throw in an old stamp too and they do have very nice presentation cases.) Theirs are only average circulated too, not even XF or AU. EDIT: (*) 50 coins, mix of P or D, and in average circulated condition. https://www.danburymint.co.uk/product/100-years-of-lincoln-coins/
I think an entire set of wheat cents 1909 - 1958 would cost more than $10 - $12 on eBay or anywhere else!!! Several of the cents would be worth at least that much if they were in any decent condition. IMHO
You're right. I should've clarified. (I'll go back to edit). I didn't mean all P,D,S, and of course, just "genuine" or average circulated.
I just surfed e-bay and noted at least two collections of '09 through '58 cents, and the bidding was at $39 and still going strong. And these are sets that are missing "just a few coins". I perish to think what folks are trying to rake in for a full set on ETSY.
One day one of my great granddaughters was sitting at the table with me. We were talking about all the kids. She said "grandpa, can you name them all?" Well, I did, but it wasn't easy.
Red Book is a great guide, for most everything but prices. Sites like Numisedia.com more accurately reflect what is happening in the market for Fair Market Value, as long as there are sales happening, since it is updated weekly. Of course ebay sold listings are helpful, but not always an accurate guide too.
You might want to take a close look at your wheat's for any varieties which can add some value to the right collector. http://doubleddie.com/1801.html