Trick-Or-Wheat? Ditching the Sweets and Giving Out “Wheatie” Cents and Other Coins On Halloween

I think Halloween is a great time of year to introduce children (why, anyone, really) to numismatics. Many coin dealers and collectors give out gifts of coins, hobby pamphlets, and other numismatic goodies to children in lieu of candy and sweets during Halloween trick-or-treating time. It’s an idea that started gathering steam years ago when some hobby influencers thought it was a perfect opportunity to spread the good word about coin collecting in a novel, fun way.

How many little ghosts and ghouls (or, in my case, walking traffic lights) were turned on to coin collecting after a few Lincoln Wheat Cents, Buffalo Nickels, or Mercury Dimes were thrown into plastic McDonald’s Halloween candy buckets? I can’t say, as I never received such numismatic treasures by way of rapping on a door at 8 o’clock on Halloween night and shouting “trick or treat?” to any of my neighbors. And there are no numbers to testify as to how effective this altruistic strategy of salting (or peppering?) children’s Halloween baskets with vintage money may be in getting young people to join the collecting ranks. But apparently there is some historical background behind giving children coins on Halloween.

In medieval Scotland and Ireland, children on Halloween (then widely known as the eve of the Feast of All Saints, or All Hallows’ Eve) would be treated to coins instead of candy if they performed a dance, sang a song, or offered other amusing merriment. Sometimes coins and rings would be baked into fruitcakes and other desserts, with the discovery of a coin portending the recipient would be rich. Find a ring? Marriage!

Things are different today, of course. Candy companies alone make hundreds of millions of dollars each year selling candy to Halloween revelers. And Halloween is no longer just for children – the holiday is becoming one of the most widely celebrated calendar dates among adults. Whether or not your trick-or-treaters are young or just young at heart, why not hearken back to old Irish and Scottish tradition and give our hobby a boost in the arm by giving away free vintage coins on Halloween? You could even do those future collectors a better favor still by giving them relatively inexpensive PCGS-graded coins as Halloween treats. You’ll inspire the creation of at least a couple new collectors and you’ll surely become even more popular than that rich neighbor who gives away the dollar-fifty candy bars… The whole ones!

Sources
Baker, Dave. “Halloween, Trick or Treat, and Coins.” London Coin Galleries. https://www.londoncoinmissionviejo.com/halloween-trick-or-treat-and-coins
“How Trick-Or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition.” History. https://www.history.com/news/halloween-trick-or-treating-origins
“Irish Halloween Traditions.” Pilgrimage In Medieval Ireland. https://pilgrimagemedievalireland.com/2016/10/30/irish-halloween-traditions/