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Penny drive at school results

ajaanajaan Posts: 17,112 ✭✭✭✭✭
I teach at a Middle School here in the Buffalo area. Our school had a penny drive from 1/6/11 to 1/27/11 which benefited the Buffalo Women and Children Hospital. Many local schools participated with the top three schools getting a concert by some groups I've never heard of. The students were encouraged to bring in pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and bills for the fundraiser. All non-penny donations would be exchanged at a bank for pennies when the count happened at a local mall.

Altogether we received about $750 in pennies and $250 in other coins and bills. As a coin collector I looked through a lot of the pennies and the organizer of the event also knows I collect, so he had the student volunteers pick out the wheat cents they found while counting the coins. I then purchased the wheaties from them for more than face value. This is the breakdown of the coins. Note, I didn't look throught the bricks of pennies from the bank.

1909-1916 (0)
1917-1920 (3)
1921-1929 (5)
1930-1939 (10)
1940-1949 (53)
1950-1958 (52)

I assume some wheaties 'escaped' but the kids were pretty diligent in picking them out.

I usually didn't look through the 'silver' that was donated but one day I did a quick look through and found the following:

Merc 10c (2)
Silver Roos 10c (1)
Silver Wash 25c (1)

I guess there still are some wheat cents and silver coins out there in circulation, or at least in people's coin jars.

There are also foreign coins out there. We received coins from Japan, Saudi Arabia, a few Euro coins, an Irish coin and others I can't think of right now.

DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


Don

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    partagaspartagas Posts: 2,056 ✭✭✭
    Wow silver, I haven't found silver in a longtime.
    If I say something in the woods, and my wife isn't around. Am I still wrong?
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    tahoe98tahoe98 Posts: 11,388 ✭✭✭

    ...you did alright. image
    "government is not reason, it is not eloquence-it is a force! like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." George Washington
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    ajaanajaan Posts: 17,112 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I gave them 18x face for the silver coins.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
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    DentuckDentuck Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭
    Did any of the kids become interested in collecting coins? Did they ask questions?

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    ajaanajaan Posts: 17,112 ✭✭✭✭✭
    One kid said his father collected. I did have a few kids looking through the 'silver' and showed them how the edge of the clad coins is different from the silver coins.

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
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    DentuckDentuck Posts: 3,812 ✭✭✭
    You may have sparked some interest with those conversations!



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    ajaanajaan Posts: 17,112 ✭✭✭✭✭
    They really got excited when I told them a pre-1965 quarter is worth $4.00

    DPOTD-3
    'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'

    CU #3245 B.N.A. #428


    Don
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    << <i>They really got excited when I told them a pre-1965 quarter is worth $4.00 >>



    Pre-65 quarters are worth more than $5 right now. But still cool.

    I remember doing penny drives in elementary school, nice to hear they're still doing them. Looks like you made out well on the deal, and good on you for paying more than face for the wheat cents (and a fair price on the silver). Feeding the numismatic habit and helping out a charity at the same time. Very cool.
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    johnny9434johnny9434 Posts: 27,503 ✭✭✭✭✭
    wow, thats way cool. i got a silver war nickel the other day in change. it was a 42 s to.

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