Halloween Candy Bartering and the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup

Back in 2019, The Atlantic published an article titled "How Many Tootsie Rolls Is a Snickers Worth? Kids Know."  It was all about the micro economies established by kids after trick or treating. 

Not a gift link but, if you're able, I recommend checking it out HERE.

What I found more interesting than the economics at play, is that to the kids of today (or, I guess, 7 years ago at least) STILL know (as I did back when I was trick or treating) that the Reese's Peanut Butter cup is THE "gold standard," "the brass ring," "the DnD platinum piece" of candy trading.

When I was a young lad and my mom would bring us home from a night of trick or treating, I would dump my loot on the kitchen table at the advice of my father.
Tongue firmly planted in cheek he'd say "Let's see what you got tonight.  I need to go through it and make sure there's no poison."
What always wound up happening is he'd scan the table and pick up one of the Reese's single Peanut Butter Cups, open it and take a bite.
"Nope.  No poison in this one."  And then he'd eat the rest.
This happened every trick or treat year, until I stopped trick or treating.  Ahhh the  timelessness of "Dad-Jokes."

The next day (November 1st) I'd sit in my room and invite my friends over for the big barter.  We'd re-dump our trick or treat bags on the floor (carefully spacing ourselves out, being VERY careful not to mix up our piles) and we'd trade for what we thought would be a stockpile of Halloween candy that would last us until the following October.  The idea was sound, though it didn't accommodate 'scarcity'--- another influence in economies--- and those long, cold winters that demanded consumption of all the supplies.  Needless to say, the plan never ever panned out.

The trading took as long as it took.  Smarties (we liked 'em, I don't understand the hate), Tootsie rolls, Dum Dum pops, SweeTarts, Butterfingers, Snickers, Mounds, Almond Joys, $100,000 Dollar Bars and more were all traded with reckless abandon.  But the Reese's Peanut Butter cups... those were siphoned out and stacked to the side like $1,000 dollar poker chips.  When it came to trading for those... things got serious.  Like The Godfather serious ('Leave the gun.  Take the Reese's').

Their "perceived Halloween value" isn't the only reason Reese's Peanut Butter cups remind me of Halloween most often.  Just the wrapper itself is a Halloween treat:  brown, black and orange.  The colors of Fall.  Halloween colors.

In 2026 I believe there are almost 10 different varieties of Reese's Peanut Butter cups:  regular, Big Cup, minis, Pumpkins, Charlie Brown Pumpkins, Pumpkin minis, various flavors, etc. Do all the varieties diminish the value of the originals?  

I don't know.  

I'm not in the market.

Ok, your turn:  What was the tent-pole candy in your Halloween candy bartering?
The gold standard?
The opposite of a Charlie Brown "I got a rock?"

And, if you have children, is Reese's PB cups still the 'top dollar'?  

If not, what is?
Sound off in the comments below.