About wheat pennies

kimon1230

I collect modern coins that I buy directly from the various mints (US and from other countries) or already slabbed and don't know much about older coins (but, I'm learning).

So, I was spending Christmas with my girlfriend's family and they had a huge jar of pennies that my girlfriend with her sister decided to go through after I told them about the value of the 1909 VDB penny.

They found a few pennies from the '40s and was wondering how best to get rid of the gunk and dirt on them. Can anyone give me some advice?

Shamika

Honestly, my advice would be to leave them alone, gunk and all. But if you must, you can try soaking them in olive oil for a few days (or weeks) or acetone for a minute or two. Acetone is EXTREMELY flammable so I'd be careful with this option.


<< <i>...I told them about the value of the 1909 VDB penny. >>


I assume you ment to say 1909-S VDB.

ScarsdaleCoin

buy the book ....


Book Coin Dealers DONT want you to have....

Cladiator

Funny, I went through a giant jar of Lincolns over the Christmas holiday as well. Oldest I found was a 1937. Three Canadian cents too lol

kimon1230

<< <i>Honestly, my advice would be to leave them alone, gunk and all. >>


Do collectors really prefer the coin to have all that junk on it?


<< <i>...I told them about the value of the 1909 VDB penny. >>


I assume you ment to say 1909-S VDB. >>


Yeah, that's the one. I told you I'm a modern "crap" collector

Cladiator

<< <i>Do collectors really prefer the coin to have all that junk on it? >>

Yup.

kimon1230

<< <i>buy the book ....


Book Coin Dealers DONT want you to have.... >>



How good is this book? I collect modern coins that generally don't need cleaning (at least not the ones I buy) so I wouldn't know if this book is really worth the $100

kimon1230

<< <i>

<< <i>Do collectors really prefer the coin to have all that junk on it? >>

Yup. >>

Wow, ok. I wouldn't have guessed that.

If I were to send them to be graded by PCGS/NGC would they be cleaned or slabbed as is?

Burks

NCS will conserve/clean the coin and send it off to NGC for grading.

Wouldn't do that unless the coin is truely worth something.

kimon1230

<< <i>Wouldn't do that unless the coin is truely worth something. >>


Good point.
So, what do I do with them? I don't collect them and have no interest in them. My girlfriend and her family are not interested either.
I was thinking about slabbing them and flipping them on eBay but, having just checked there, the prices aren't all that great.

Oh well.... I might hold on to them and give them to my great grand-son. They may increase in value by then.

centmaster

They're worth 2 to 3 cents apiece. They haven't gone up in value much in over 20 years and there's no reason to think that they'll be worth even 5 cents each in the near future. If you have enough of them, then roll them up and sell them for a dollar or two per roll to a dealer.