Does Anyone still give away Shinny Pennies on Halloween anymore?

braddick

Remember as a kid? That one neighbor that offered a clear glass plate with brand new, freshly minted pennies for all the trick-or-treaters?
Sure, a carmel apple or a full sized candy bar was more delightful, but those pretty little coins sure were a better tidbit that those black and orange wax paper wrapped taffy (that tasted like caramel peanut butter).

Does anyone here keep the tradition alive?

pitboss

Kids today would throw them back at you.

Harry779

After opening several hundred rolls of mint wrapped cents.....
I didnt find any shinny ones,they all have black spots on them...LOL

lostincoins

nope did that last year and found most on the ground in the morning, to bad because they were my rolls of 1955s this year its just cheap candy.

ricko

Nope....they just want candy. Back when I was a kid, a penny could buy a piece of candy - sometimes two pieces.... now, it buys nothing. Cheers, RickO

sparky64

We only get a half dozen or so.
I give out Reese's and Ike's (1$).

hchcoin

<< <i>We only get a half dozen or so.
I give out Reese's and Ike's (1$). >>



I'd come to your house for sure

MrHalfDime

"Back when I was a kid, a penny could buy a piece of candy - sometimes two pieces.... now, it buys nothing."

There's the answer. As cool as the idea sounds to old coin collectors like us, with memories of receiving Lincoln wheat cents on Halloween, kids today apparently are not amused by such things. Maybe if you were to hand out Kennedy halves or Presidential dollars, reflecting the rate of inflation since Lincoln cents were appropriate, they would be appreciated rather than strewn on the ground. For myself, I will be handing out Snickers to the little rug rats.

Cocoinut

You're dating yourself, Braddick. I remember getting pennies on Halloween as a kid, but today's trick-or-treaters would be insulted if you gave them a couple of cents.

p.s. I also remember in the early 1950's when people who had television would let kids in to watch. It was a novelty that not everyone had yet, and the kids could come inside to warm up on a cold night.

Jim

TireKicker

Never heard of this before

WTCG

Pennies? If I was trick-or-treating and got a penny I'd jot down your home address for some future fun. Even when I was trick-or-treating (over 20 years ago) some houses were giving out quarters.

I still remember one house giving out candy corn. Not in small packages, the guy would grab a handful of loose ones from his pocket and throw them in your bag. He was asking for it as well.

The worst were the homes that answered the door only to tell you "sorry children, I have no candy to give out". Boy were they asking for it. Don't have something to give? Better not answer the door at all.

BillJones

Even when I was kid in the 1950s a cent for trick or treat would have seemed cheap. In the '40s maybe.

PerryHall

<< <i>You're dating yourself, Braddick. >>


When Braddick was a kid, large cents were still in circulation.

cladking

I often pass out shiny quarters but they're usually from the '70's or '80's.

BillJones

Just about all of the main stream candy bars cost a nickel when I was a kid. Mounds and Almond Joy cost a dime. About the only thing you could get for a penny were little Tootsie Rolls, and sorry, but I did NOT like them.

Cameonut

Growing up in the early 60's in Racine Wisconsin (home of Whitman Publishing) I remember getting a three panel blue Whitman folder as a "treat".

Much better than a shiny penny.

Unknown

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braddick

It takes so little to amuse me these days!

Happy Halloween everyone.

amwldcoin

When I lived in a neigborhood...gated community...I used to give away Buffalo and V-Nickels....LOL...Had em commin back every year!

Baley

When I was a kid, the only thing one penny would buy was a hand-crank gumball, and a small one at that, the big gumball was a quarter.

I remember nickel candy though, and got a Jefferson now and again trick or treating in the mid 1970's.

a nickel would buy candy from the bottom bins at 7-11, like a bazooka joe bubble gum, or a tootsie pop. we never tricked anyone if they didn't have candy or gave poor treats, we threw away anything not wrapped and there were always a few things we didn't like in the bag

never received a numismatic coin, nor would I give them. spending extra coins to spread numismatic seeds is one thing, but giving the recipients your home address is quite another

PerryHall

<< <i>spending extra coins to spread numismatic seeds is one thing, but giving the recipients your home address is quite another >>



I expressed similar concerns here in years past at Halloween and I was accused of being paranoid by some fellow forum members. I've always been security conscience and never felt it made sense to tell every kid in the neighborhood that I was a coin collector. These kids have older siblings and they talk. If one of them is a crack head he may target your home. Not very likely but why take the chance?

mariner67

No.
Never saw it as a kid in the 50s.
Don't know anyone doing it now.

Justlooking

I remember getting a quarter and a dime and thinking I was rich.

SaorAlba

<< <i>

<< <i>spending extra coins to spread numismatic seeds is one thing, but giving the recipients your home address is quite another >>



I expressed similar concerns here in years past at Halloween and I was accused of being paranoid by some fellow forum members. I've always been security conscience and never felt it made sense to tell every kid in the neighborhood that I was a coin collector. These kids have older siblings and they talk. If one of them is a crack head he may target your home. Not very likely but why take the chance? >>



I don't believe you are paranoid, just rightly security conscious.

magikbilly

I remember getting handfuls of pennies (40 years ago). Jolly Ranchers were only 5 cents even in 1990.


Eric

keets

no shinny ones but maybe some shiny ones.

CaptHenway

The last time I gave out coins was in 1999. We got two rolls of the new Connecticut quarters (I thought that the dead tree looked suitably spooky) and put them in cardboard 2x2's. We wrote "HAPPY HALLOWEEN" on them in black and orange pens and affixed some small Halloween stickers that we got at the dollar store. Only gave them to the smaller kids. Never got any feedback on it.

tincup

<< <i>

<< <i>spending extra coins to spread numismatic seeds is one thing, but giving the recipients your home address is quite another >>



I expressed similar concerns here in years past at Halloween and I was accused of being paranoid by some fellow forum members. I've always been security conscience and never felt it made sense to tell every kid in the neighborhood that I was a coin collector. These kids have older siblings and they talk. If one of them is a crack head he may target your home. Not very likely but why take the chance? >>




Fully agree with this. Not willing to take such a chance.

CaptHenway

We got cents in our Halloween bags when I was a kid in the late 50's, and we could still buy penny candy up at the corner store.

Coinsponge

Some kid would probably eat it thinking it was candy and choke on it and you will be sued for the rest of your collection.

kimber45ACP

Old school gift cards.

BlindedByEgo

Shinny. Heh.

droopyd

<< <i>those pretty little coins sure were a better tidbit that those black and orange wax paper wrapped taffy (that tasted like caramel peanut butter). >>



What, you didn't like Kit Kats? (Yes, the used to be called that, I'm guessing Hershey made them change the name.)

sparky64

Stale popcorn balls were the worst.
Fresh ones ok.

georgiacop50

Poisonous zinc cents? You kidding? You might as well give out castor beans!

johnny9434

<< <i>

<< <i>We only get a half dozen or so.
I give out Reese's and Ike's (1$). >>



I'd come to your house for sure >>

omg, that makes 2 of us.

nutmeg

One house in the 50's [a barber] had us come inside and there was a bowl of pennies. They said take what you want. We only took 3 or 4. My friend George knew of a house that gave dimes. So we walked quite a distance and each got a dime.
Then a week later George said let's go get a dime so we went up there and each got another dime. Then one day I tried it myself alone. The lady answered the door and said "No, only George".

demodigger

I gave out handfuls of pennies and foreign coins tonight. Everyone thought it was great and thanked me. Maybe I live in a nicer neighborhood, where children and adults appreciate something different.

CaptHenway

<< <i>

<< <i>those pretty little coins sure were a better tidbit that those black and orange wax paper wrapped taffy (that tasted like caramel peanut butter). >>



What, you didn't like Kit Kats? (Yes, the used to be called that, I'm guessing Hershey made them change the name.) >>



These were not Kit Kats. I remember the candy wrapped in the orange and black waxed paper. Must have been the cheapest candy in the store because we got a lot of it, but it was always the last candy eaten. Sometimes the end of it got thrown away.

beryl

Offered kids a choice: a "golden dollar" (Grover Cleveland 2) or candy: one ~8 year old girl took the coin.

CoinZip

I gave out a treat bag with some candy and one of these.....sorry they were not shinny.