Counting Change...huge Volunteer Project

A study I started years ago fell by the way side as other priorities jumped in the way - but now I am wanting to get it started again, and I need help from the public.

The premise to the project is to find out what 1c coins we have circulating in our economy. The idea is that since we have about 30 billion cents in change out there, if we took a small cross section of that and broke it down into dates and mints, then used a formula to remultiply the number up to a total of 30 billion, we could assume this is something close to the number that's left from original mintage. Here's how it works...

We need 3 million cents sorted and reported, but it needs to be from all around the country because mint districts dictate what you have in your change. If we get a count from WA, FL, CA, and ME and all points in between, we will get a close idea of what's all over the country, not just what's in CA.

3 million, you say...that's a LOT of coins! Well, if I had 600 people involved, each person would sort and report on a single bag of cents - or two bank boxes worth...$50 face. That would take a weekend, at most, and you wouldn't need to keep the coins - you could simply take them back to the bank when you're done.

Naturally, I cannot 'pay' people to participate, this would be a voluntary thing...but the results would be something that's never been done on a scale like this, and it would help everyone as a community...and it could actually bring you coins that could make a profit for you. Additionally, you will be listed as a contributor anywhere the results are published. That puts your name in the marquee lights, and helps us all out at the same time.

Now...there are a couple of requirements beyond what you might expect, so PAY ATTENTION CLOSELY HERE!

You must know and sort the difference between the 1960, 1970, 1974, and 1982 large and small date coins, and you must also be able to separate the metals in 1982. I can help anyone with any of this, and will be publishing information on the web for participants to read. If you DO NOT sort the coins out completely, I CANNOT USE YOUR RESULTS. Simple as that. In order for any of this to work, everyone has to be on the same page.

I know I will get help from around 200 people already from other sources. If everyone in CCF helps out, that will bring us much closer. I'm sure I can get the remainder by duplicating effort in lower populated areas or something...those details will come out in the wash.

The results....wouldn't you like to know how many 1982D small date zinc cents were minted? The results of this test could help determine a close number. It could also point out modern pocket change rarities in Lincoln cents. It is entirely possible that (hypothetical here) 1988P cents are MUCH scarcer than all surrounding dates. Could be a reason for that, but we don't know it now. All we have to go by now are the mintages, which are rather consistent. What would it look like if 1,600 1987 cents were found, 2,300 1989 cents were found, but only 250 1988 cents were found? That shows us a shortcoming in that date that we didn't know about before this count. Of course I'm only using 1988 because even I don't know what's really scarce, and I had to pick a date. It's also entirely possible that none of the dates are scarce at all. NOBODY knows...UNTIL we do something about it, and this is how.

So...if you're into sorting change, and would like to sort a couple of boxes of circulated cents for this study, sound off here, and I will continue with further information. If I don't get much interest in responses, I'll just can the idea.

Now...again...PLEASE DO NOT START until you get instructions on exactly how to do it. I will publish the information you need to know if in fact we end up doing this, and you can start after you read the information. If you ASSUME what I need to know and just jump out there and do it, I can promise you that you have a less than 10% chance I can actually use your effort toward anything. That's why it's important that you follow my lead on this.

So who's in? Where you from? You know someone else who would do it? Let me know. Remember, I want as much coverage of the nation as possible. Any Hawaiians? Alaskans? That would be even better! More the better, but I cannot have too many from a single area doing this...which is why some might be rejected toward the end. I will have to get equal representation from around the country.

*** please read below for instructions on how to volunteer...and thanks! ***