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 Replies: 53 / Views: 7,398 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1116 Posts |
I weigh 1982 pennies and I find that there is not a clean break between what a copper and zinc penny weighs in at.
Anything above 3.0 grams on my scale I consider copper, and anything 2.9 or less I consider zinc. I realize that I may be consigning a 2.8 gram copper coin to the zinc pile but maybe I should be drawing the line a little closer to the 2.8 line. After all some copper may have been rubber off but then again maybe the copper mixture in the zinc penny could have been a little greater.
I still consider penny sorting to be worthwhile especially when watching the news and the nights I can't sleep. It beats drinking.
{edit} I also keep all 1982's just segregate the copper from the zinc. You can get an inexpensive scale that weighs grams rather cheaply from either Harbor Freight or Northern Freight. I can't keep the two straight. Anyway it's Chinese made but it works.
Edited by ghostrider
06/29/2012 12:21 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
If you are just after copper only keep 1981 and before. If, however, you want to collect cents, hang out here and search the forums for what varieties to look for. There are far too many to be listed or learned in one thread.
Have fun hunting!
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New Member
United States
30 Posts |
you could always by a scale and separate the 82 copper 3.11 from the 82 zinc 2.4 grams.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2295 Posts |
The best way to tell the copper from the zinc, is to build a balance with a popsicle stick and glue it to a pencil. And put a copper cent on one end. If it balances, then the other cent is copper. If not, then it is zinc.
Just make sure the popsicle stick is in the middle of it, when glued to the pencil. Otherwise it won't balance correctly.
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Valued Member
United States
90 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
76 Posts |
I keep all my 1982 pennies separate from my other stash. Someday when I get around to it (maybe in retirement and copper is $30/lb!) and don't have anything else to do I will sort those out and keep the copper ones.
Other CCF members might laugh at me but I do believe that someday (hopefully when I reach retirement age) even zinc pennies will be worth what copper pennies are worth today just for the value of the zinc. More if the zinc pennies are in pristine condition.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2077 Posts |
Probably wouldn't make it a significant part of your retirement portfolio. Besides just the copper value, I'd think inflation would exceed the numismatic value for at least a decade. I'd say only save them if they are AU.
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Valued Member
United States
417 Posts |
I will take a couple of boxes to the next local show. If someone is buying them I will let my grandson sell the and use the money for buying coins to fill holes in his books.
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Valued Member
United States
234 Posts |
Finally I can fight my insomnia,make a few bucks.  I wonder would the gov miss a few fuel drums full of em  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1088 Posts |
The way I see it, if I save them and they go up...AWESOME! If I save them and they do not increase in value much, oh well no harm done. I Pull them out of circulation change I get. Put them in rolls and they store pretty easily and do not take up much room.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
959 Posts |
Quote:
I'm sitting on several hundreds of dollars worth, and counting. I don't go through rolls specifically to pull copper, but since I search for varieties I keep the copper.
 What can it hurt? If the world economy ever gets its act together, copper is one of the metals that will be in high demand! Nothing over face value invested anyway. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
959 Posts |
Quote:
ive been sitting on thousands of dollars worth of cents for many many yrs, theres literally no risk its money I dont really need right now only problem it basically takes away most of a room hahaha plus a filled closet
With that much weight, I hope they are on the bottom most floor in your house, or the floor supported. I keep my stash in the basement. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8516 Posts |
Yeah, once you start hoarding copper you need to find a permanent place for that 5 gallon bucket, lol.
Oregon coin geek.....*** GO BEAVS ! ! ! ***
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4897 Posts |
It seems that, in the long run, if I had "thousands" of dollars in copper cents they would be better invested and not hoarde. IMO
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Valued Member
United States
493 Posts |
Someday, once they are hoarded up, they will sell the same as 90% silver does now. Good for weighing down a safe. In currency collapse, they will still be an acceptable form of payment, just like 90% would. The reasons to keep some of these around are endless. They make good spacers, and crush washers as well, ok, that last one was a stretch :)
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Replies: 53 / Views: 7,398 |
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Posted 06/29/2012 12:18 am
