Perhaps. 
Perhaps they could be kept as tokens.
Perhaps they could be dropped entirely. In quests that are not necessary for progression, Tux can and in many already does, obtain other useful items - pills, gun, NPCs offering to teach him skills ...

obtains items:
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Bender.lua:			Tux:add_xp(150)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Tania.lua:			Tux:add_xp(1500)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/SADD.lua:			Tux:add_xp(1000)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/SADD.lua:			Tux:add_xp(1500)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/SACD.lua:			Tux:add_xp(1000)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Spencer.lua:			Tux:add_xp(100)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Duncan.lua:			Tux:add_xp(3000) (sell more items)

optional for progression:
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Michelangelo.lua:			Tux:add_xp(350)

to keep:
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Butch.lua:            Tux:add_xp(8000)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/TutorialTom.lua:			Tux:add_xp(2000)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/TutorialTom.lua:			Tux:add_xp(2000)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Town-NorthGateGuard.lua:				Tux:add_xp(70)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Town-NorthGateGuard.lua:				Tux:add_xp(100)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Ewalds_296.lua:			Tux:add_xp(1500)

?:
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Kevin.lua:			Tux:add_xp(100)
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/c-net.lua:			-- Tux:add_xp(30) -- Eventually make this a quest goal.
data/storyline/act1/dialogs/Spencer.lua:			Tux:add_xp(250)