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 Replies: 30 / Views: 2,562 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
For the past couple of years, I've been setting aside 1982 pennies as they come in. They can be corroded, AU or otherwise. It doesn't matter, I put them in a bowl and then eventually put them in coin wrappers. Well, I finally got a scale and decided to divide these things into one of the seven categories of 1982 cents. This message will detail the division of copper and zinc 1982 cents. This thread is actually inspired by the Kennedy half thread that mycrob started. FACTS: 9 Rolls of mixed 1982 cents - 450 coins AFTER WEIGHING: 85 Zinc composition 385 Copper composition So out of a totally random collection of 1982 cents collected over the past two years, only 18.8% are Zinc...... I was amazed as I unwrapped the rolls and weighed the individual coins. In a roll, I would only have 6-10 zinc coins...... Do we have a new, modern rarity? Numismedia doesn't distinguish between zinc and copper. "Coins" magazine does, but all the prices are roughly the same. I can't find anything on the Internet except that no one seems to know how many of each were actually minted. Next Installment - Separating the 85 Zinc Coins - There are four categories - 1982 Small Date, 1982 Large Date, 1982-D Small Date, 1982-D Large Date. Stay Tuned and if you have personal stats to add, jump right in!  |
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
I've just started setting aside 1982 and earlier cents. I read that the zinc coins are lighter than copper...what kind of scale do you use to weigh them. I probably have about 50 1982's, may not be enough to be statistically relevant but once I find out how many are zinc, I'll let you know. I've been keeping track of the number of copper cents I find from rolls, I'm averaging about 12 per roll here in PA. Does anyone keep track of stats like this to see how they "change" over time?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
581 Posts |
As far as the scale is concerned, it just has to have an accuracy of .1 gram. A copper weighs roughly 3.1 grams and a zinc weighs roughly 2.5 grams.
We could start a whole new thread about what scale to use - but I have a RiteWeight "digital pocket balance". I bought it used from my local coin shop for $11 and I love it.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
After you've weighed the 1982 cents, use the following image to determine whether it's a Large Date or a Small Date. Large Date is on the left, Small Date is on the right. Notice how the Large date is "fatter" especially the '8' and that the '2' is much closer to the rim. After you examine a few of these, they become automatic. Image:  1982compared.jpg43.5 KB |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1571 Posts |
Kabiye_lady, I am a bit ahead of you, on starting to "save them". I saved abouut 20 rolls, in '82, when they came out! Of course they were put away in a 3lb. coffee can until 2005, when I got back into collecting again. I also have a couple batches from the cent project, (I went thru 4 boxes, 2 from SO CA, and 2 from N/C AZ. most have been separated by category, but there are a lot more that haven't. Soooo, I have to get busy, and see what I have, after all has been said, and done. I'll let you know. While we are on that date, bee sure to check the "small date", zinc, "P" obv, (maybe it is the rev), but check dor doubled die. There have been two found. Ziggy found the first one.
Dick
Edited by livingdinasaur
01/09/2008 9:35 pm
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New Member
United States
29 Posts |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
Ok. Next installment. I finally got around in going through the 82 zincs:
ZINC:
1982 - Large Date: 31 or 6.8% of all 450 pulled
1982-D Large Date: 4 or 0.9% of all 450 pulled
1982 - Small Date: 11 or 2.4% of all 450 pulled
1982-D Small Date: 39 or 8.7% of all 450 pulled
Once again this is out of a sample of 450 1982's pulled over the past 2-3 years from circulation.
Next are the 370 or so Coppers. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow!
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19931 Posts |
Interesting stats, thanks for the info. IMO, there's not enough love for Memorial cents.
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
All statistics on the 1982 Lincoln Cent can be found on https://www.coppercoins.com or actually in the Red Book. The amounts of each are given if they are accurate for mintages in the Red Book. I've said this many, many times before. If you don't have a scale for that type of weights, no problem. Just use the popsicle stick system. You take a popsicle or ice creame stick, eat the stuff off it first of course. Rinse and let dry or your coins will get sticky unless you licked it completely. Next you need a pencil. A 6 sided one is easiest to use. Balance the stick on the end of the pencil and when the balance point is found, glue it there. Now you have a balance beam scale. Take any cent from prior to 1982 and place it on the end of the stick. Place any 1982 cent on the other end. If the stick balances the 82 is a Copper one. If the 82 doesn't make it move, it is the Zinc one. This could be worked another way. You could put a 1983 cent on one end and any 82 on the other. The 83 is lighter than Copper ones. If the 82 makes the stick drop, it is the Copper one. If they just balance, they are both the Zinc ones. The nice thing about this system is in the eating of the material on the sticks of course. |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
quote:
there's not enough love for Memorial cents.
Shhhhhhhhh !! There is plenty of Love for them !  Metalman |
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Valued Member
United States
140 Posts |
I went through a box recently and had 2 small dates...2!! and approx. 100 large dates.
I wonder if geographics factor in on this at all? Kabiye, what area of the country do you live in?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
581 Posts |
Ok I did the coppers.
382 COPPERS:
1982 - Large Date: 80 or 17.8% of all 450 pulled
1982-D Large Date: 298 or 66.2% of all 450 pulled
1982 - Small Date: 3 or 0.7% of all 450 pulled
Here is what I found with the Zinc (copied from an earlier message)
ZINC:
1982 - Large Date: 31 or 6.8% of all 450 pulled
1982-D Large Date: 4 or 0.9% of all 450 pulled
1982 - Small Date: 11 or 2.4% of all 450 pulled
1982-D Small Date: 39 or 8.7% of all 450 pulled
So, out of 450 1982 cents pulled over 2-3 years, a GRAND TOTAL of 53 Small Dates! ----> That's a little less than 12%. I'm in "D" country - upper midwest, so that would probably skew things.
The other big thing is the scarcity of the Zinc 1982 cents. Only 85 out of 450 were Zinc and they were in much worse shape than the copper 1982's.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2602 Posts |
Lady, great thread and am glad I inspired you. Here is what I found from two $50 batches from the Cent Project:
California batch:
1982p: 17, LD copper
1982p: 0, SD copper
1982p: 70, LD zinc
1982p: 1, SD zinc
1982d: 37, LD copper
1982d: 1, LD zinc
1982d: 4, SD zinc
Shreveport batch
1982p: 22, LD copper
1982p: 1, SD copper
1982p: 3, LD zinc
1982p: 0, SD zinc
1982d: 55, LD copper
1982d: 6, LD zinc
1982d: 8, SD zinc
Small dates are much, much more rare in these batches, so I agree. (125 SD:5 LD in CA, 86 LD to 5 SD in Shreveport, LA, or grand total of 211 Large date to only 10 small date or 21 times more likely to get a large date 1982 than a small date). Both batches were from "D" country but I don't understand the 82P LD Zn difference- rare in Shreveport, but the most common 1982 in California. I think the Cent Project data will probably confirm the relative scarcity of the small dates vs large dates.
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Valued Member
United States
243 Posts |
Justcarl, I made one of those scales today .Instead of using a popcicle stick ,I used a little 4 in plastic ruler,and I glued the penny on so you didn't have to adjust it all the time..It works good ,I found at least 5 copper to 1 zinc.After a while you can feel the difference in the two.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
535 Posts |
I had a few tubes that I have pulled out over the last few years. I have been waiting to get a scale but the popsicle stick seemed to work. I'm in Missouri. When I get new rolls of State Quarters or Presidential dollars I mostly get Ds but a few times I've gotten Ps. Heres what I had: Copper: P Large 7 P Small 2 D Large 32 D Small Zinc: P Large 2 P Small D Large 2 D Small 13 |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Justcarl, I made one of those scales today .Instead of using a popcicle stick ,I used a little 4 in plastic ruler,and I glued the penny on so you didn't have to adjust it all the time..It works good ,I found at least 5 copper to 1 zinc.After a while you can feel the difference in the two.
Good idea of the permanent coin. That sure does eleminate the possible errors due to movement.
HOWVER, you missed the most important part of my method. Eating the ice cream.
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Replies: 30 / Views: 2,562 |
Posted 01/09/2008 9:26 pm
1982compared.jpg
