Why Save Pre-1982 Pennies?

Sometimes laws change. Maybe the melting ban will be lifted someday. Who knows. I think it will. I agree with "Numismo", might as well save a few to see what happens. Buying rolls at a bank and searching them produces on average 12-15 copper cents per roll. Plus you can search for wheaties and errors at the same time. It's actually kind of fun. Copper is at $4.49 per pound. Takes 153 cents to make a pound.

Unless you have storage space problems; why not? They are really easy to find while searching for varieties, etc, searching for them is cheaper than going to the movies, its lots of fun and who knows, they may actually be worth something in the future (how's your 401k doing?).

Thanks for the info guys. I have been saving them, it just seemed like the right thing to do, and as I was sorting them out in the table, I just thought, WHY?

Now I have a better idea, thanks!

I have been Hoarding them myself ever sense my Dad gave me about 30 White pain buckets full of them last time he came up to visit.

I hear ya! The zincolns are like that. I get nervous when I'm holding an '88, '92, or '99 and it looks really nice on the obverse.

Yet another reason to hang on to copper: that's the last time it will ever feel like real money again.

They made copper cents in 1982 as well, in fact, most of the 82's are copper.

I save them because the melt value today is $0.02978. The melt ban will be lifted eventually, once the fed has pulled as many out as they want to melt. They claim the ban is on to ensure there's enough in circulation, I say that might be partially true but NOT the main reason for the ban. Our gov wants them back for the copper, the real truth. Also something to consider is the mintage of the 2010 and now 2011 cents in through the roof. If they are losing money on each one, then why produce so many coins? I say it's to make sure there's enough circulating as they remove the coppers from circulation.

I throw them back in for the the new collectors. Hopefully they won't be snagged by someone just hoarding them for melt value. Hate it when people go by melt value rather than numismatic value. Bought two low end Mercury dimes from my local dealer last week. Glad I only bought two as he was asking what turns out to be melt value. $2.25 for a $1.50 coin. I won't do that again.

When you sell a LMC or LWC for several dollars and it only cost you one cent, she'll come around. Funny how that happens.