| Author |
 Replies: 28 / Views: 2,293 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
781 Posts |
Anyone have input on buying from ebay dealers with these so-called 'hoards of unsearched wheaties'? I hate to come off as a critical skeptic, but I find it hard to believe in most of these guys claiming they bought an entire hoard of pennies, and parcel them out without going through them. I've bought a few rolls on occasion, no miraculous finds, but I did manage to fill some holes (non-key dates, of course) in my books. If anyone has good dealers on ebay they can refer me to, I'm always willing to try my luck. But I'd really just like to hear people's opinions on most of these dealers. I like to be optimistic, and I think I am for the most part. I usually take their claims with a grain of salt. Even supposed "bank rolled" coin wrappers can be duplicated. I'm not looking for '09S-VDB, or '55 DD's just a healthy variety that fill my books with more than 1:1000 ratio. |
|
|
|
Valued Member
United States
270 Posts |
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 United States
781 Posts |
thanks, I'm glad I'm not alone in my skepticism. is it of your opinion that truly unsearched rolls, hoards, etc. exist to any great degree?
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
1082 Posts |
I am sure that some old-timer probably has a penny jar sitting on his dresser as we speak, so yes, it's possible.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
781 Posts |
I have no doubt that it's possible, but how likely are any of these ebay claims to be true? Some of my best finds have been from pulling coins out of my pocket change from general circulation. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2254 Posts |
It all depends on what you consider unsearched. Unsearched will surely not be true for any key dates. If you're into varieties, then they are probably unsearched to a certain extent. If you're filling holes to try to get a collection complete, there is nothing wrong with trying one of them if the price is cheap enough. Just be ready for a lot of a few dates and some stragglers. I want to say the 40's and 50's would be the lion share of a bag, with some 30's and 20's probably.
Having said that, stick around here and enjoy yourself. Once you reach 50 posts you can venture over to our Buy/Sell/Trade section and put up a "need list". you will be surprised how fast you fill them holes with pretty decent examples.
|
|
Moderator
 United States
23522 Posts |
Quote:
is it of your opinion that truly unsearched rolls, hoards, etc. exist to any great degree? Yes, in the hands of the non-collectors who originally hoarded them. You're unlikely to stumble upon someone like that, though.  On ebay? Nope. None. |
|
New Member
United States
16 Posts |
I purchased an "unsearched" bag of 2500 wheats on Dec. 9, 2008, from ebay. I do not want to mention the dealer as I don't know if that is proper protocol for the forum. I paid $149.00 for them. I am new and it was one of those "too good to be true" deals. I believe, as their ad said that they were unsearched by them, but they were surely searched by someone. My findings were exactly as TIGHTS24 said, with a few steels and a couple of very worn teens. This was my first "lesson" and I'm sure it won't be my last. As I have read on this forum, many members' LESSON's" have been in the thousands of dollars, mine was $150.00. I do like the wheats and like the thrill of the hunt, so I did what forum members suggested and found a reputable dealer here in my town. I bought a 5,000 bag from him, but haven't had time to look through it yet. Have a good day. Rip48 |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1179 Posts |
99.8% searched for key dates, but not many so called hoards would be looking for rare varieties.
Just dont buy a hoard/rolls and expect to get rich or save thousands of dollars. That $150 could have bought a really nice coin, lets say a 31S in or around BU. Now, you could have found a 31S in that hoard, but I almost guarantee that it would be a really crappy example.
I save my money and buy the coin I need. I guess others like the thrill of the hunt though.
Edited by ceaton
01/27/2009 08:48 am
|
|
Valued Member
United States
383 Posts |
I enjoy the thrill of the hunt. My local dealer sells wheats for 4¢ each, so whenever I go in there to get something I now always get $10 of wheats. 5 rolls.
I enjoy rooting through them to find the occasional S-mint and steel. This is how I've filled my folders, and I'm now down to about 10 or so, obviously keys.
I also like to hoard wheats, so I have tons of circulated fillers for friends or family if they decide to start collecting.
Also, the dealer who sells them for 4¢ each, also buys them back for 3¢ each, so there's basically no risk. He feels bad whenever I go in and he's only got a few, so he'll usually just give me them if he's got less than a roll.
Little things like this are why I'll never go anywhere else. And what does it cost him? 50¢ to $1 once a week? I'm sure he'd gladly trade that for all the business I've given him, and referred to him.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
2602 Posts |
Pretty much all wheats have been searched by someone. And the rare lots that seem to be better than the rest? Those are likely "seeded" with a couple of tougher coins- and you will likely pay more. I have been amazed by how difficult it is to even get the $1.00 coins in bulk wheat lots.
I don't think 6 cents apiece is too bad; you can easily sell them for 3-5 cents apiece and have had the thrill of the hunt.
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Quote:Yes, in the hands of the non-collectors who originally hoarded them. You're unlikely to stumble upon someone like that, though. On ebay? Nope. None. Exactly! One exception is for varieties. Most people don't know about them and don't search for them....you may get lucky and pluck a few out. However, it's a LOT of work looking for these. |
|
New Member
United States
16 Posts |
I would appreciate some advice on what to do with my 12,000 + wheats. 5,000 I have not looked at yet. Do I sort them by dates, roll them up? Due to a recent health problem I do have plenty of time and the coins are my therapy for now. Would a dealer be more interested if they were sorted and rolled, not that I particularly want to sell them, just exploring options. Thanks, Rip48
|
|
Valued Member
United States
141 Posts |
You've hit on a good one. I bought several rolls from different dealers and found the best coins were on the exposed ends. Hmmmm. So, I provided neutral feedback with the best case value of what I found versus my paid price in the feedback description. You should have seen my in box light up. Talk about unhappy dealers. I tried to explain that a neutral rating isn't bad. And, that I felt future buyers should be aware of what I found in my rolls. I've been offered partial refunds, extra rolls and the offer of a full refund and keep the rolls if I change my feedback. If I didn't know better, I'd say these folks have a guilty conscience! Or, are trying to keep the "not so secret, secret" from getting out.
|
|
Forum Dad
United States
24148 Posts |
Quote:
but I find it hard to believe in most of these guys claiming they bought an entire hoard of pennies, and parcel them out without going through them. To answer that exact quote very specifically, yes I think there's a lot of them. When we've got "real" coins all around us, there's no way we're gonna take the time to go through 50 pounds of wheat cents. So if you see us selling any and we say that they have likely been gone through at some point but not by us, it's the 100% truth.  BiggFredd had an awesome spiel he used to put in his wheatie auctions, I'll see if I can dig it up. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1807 Posts |
 to the forum jedichef |
| |
Replies: 28 / Views: 2,293 |
Posted 01/27/2009 03:24 am
