Lincolns before 1982..... are they worth saving ?
mach19
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TIN SOLDIERS & NIXON COMING 
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mach19
Posts: 4,463 ✭✭✭
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Define "worth".
Better yet, look it up on line.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
After years of research and speaking with top-notch numismatists:
"Are Lincoln Cents dated before 1982 worth saving?"
Some, yes.
Most, no.
I know what "worth" means to me when it comes to saving those pennies, but that doesn't help answer the question if it means something else to the OP.
If they are common dates, which most are, no.
Since it is illegal to refine them, there is no way to get the value out of them. Some people are willing to hold them for 20 years hoping to get a nickel for them. I would rather put the cents in a mutual find and still have a nickel in 20 years. YMMV
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Just one question..... What is "YMMV"
I'm an old fart you know..... I'm not HIP to all this lingo ?
Your Mileage May Vary, and to your question no it is foolish to separate and save pre 1982 memorials. But that will not stop many from doing so.
My Collection of Old Holders
Never a slave to one plastic brand will I ever be.
Foolish is a bit harsh. Not profitable is more accurate and more kind.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
Thank you my friend !
Darn...
No one knows what the government is going to do. If you keep them hoping to get melt value when (or if) the government decides to take away the melting ban, then they may be worth stock piling. To me the answer is no. There are many people who keep them including RFT and Diggin Dave. There is no numismatic premium to common circulated cents dated 1959-1982. I do a lot of coin roll searching and I do not keep them.
Years spent researching this exact question and I don't get at least a "thanks"?
I was saving the copper '82s and earlier. Had about 15,000 of them from going through about 50,000 pennies in boxes from the bank. I was looking to perhaps get a nickel apiece someday for them. Got tired of looking at them and for them one day and took my saved pennies down to my favorite B&M coin shop hoping to get 1-1/2 maybe 2 cents apiece for them. Nope. All they would pay was face value. So I put the $150 I got for the pennies into coins from the shop. They counted every single one of those pennies on their antique coin counter which was much slower than the bank's counter but just as accurate.
Einstein’s view of God was non-traditional and pantheistic, focusing on the harmony, order, and intelligibility of the cosmos rather than a personal deity. His quotes reveal a profound respect for the universe’s mysteries, a belief in rational laws, and a moral philosophy grounded in compassion and understanding, bridging science and spirituality.
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879--18 April 1955)
Does a pre-1982 Lincoln contain more than 1 cent of raw materials? Yes. One Lincoln cent contains about 3.5 cents of copper, and half a cent of zinc. Be aware: this does not necessarily mean that the end-result "melt value" is 4 cents; this is merely what it would hypothetically cost the government if they were to resume making Lincoln cents to pre-1982 specifications, since the government would have to buy the pure zinc and pure copper and mix them together. To properly work out the melt value of a base-metal alloy, you need to take the value of the refined major component (in this case, copper) and subtract the value of the cost of removing the contaminants (zinc) from the copper. While scrap metal merchants will be reluctant to give you a quote for recycling bulk quantities of cents (since this is still currently illegal), you can get some idea by looking up what a scrap metal merchant will pay for brass. I think it typically comes out to about 1.5 to 2 cents each, so in theory, selling pre-1982 Lincolns as scrap "should" be profitable, if they were all obtained for 1 cent each.
Are they ever going to be worth more than face value? Probably. Let's suppose you manage to hoard up one 5-gallon bucket full of pre-1982 Lincolns. Eventually, the scrapping ban will be lifted. Until then, any premium above face value will only be given to you by collectors/hoarders who want to acquire bulk pre-1982 Lincolns, or maybe speculators whoa re gambling that the ban will be lifted soon.
Are they ever going to be worth significantly more than face/scrap value, as collectable coins? Assuming they've already been searched for valuable dates/mintmarks/varieties, then no. Billions were made, and lots of people are saving them. For your bucket of Lincolns to be worth big bucks, you'd need to convince everybody else who is saving them to throw their buckets of Lincolns into the ocean.
Are there more profitable numismatic things you could otherwise do with the money you'd sink into hoarding Lincolns? Absolutely. If you merely banked your bucketful of pennies right now, you'd get several hundred dollars. With that money, you could buy a few nice one-ounce silver coins, or one moderately nice collectable coin; both of those options are more likely to see your profits grow faster than the potential profits of your bucket.
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded the DPOTD twice.
Maybe if you’re a youngster with lots of patience and storage space otherwise Coinstar or a local bank if they will accept them.
Can you sell them for more than face value? I started saving them recently because I can suddenly sell them every day for 2¢ each. If not, I’d still be spending them.
“Land of the free because of the brave”
“Saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone”
In Deo solo confidimus
Member since 2026
Successful BST transactions with: Ted 1, JWP, bigjpst, Vetter,
Five to six dollars/pound unsorted + shipping on eBay.
That's the answer
Micah Langford - https://www.oldglorycoinsandcurrency.com/
I pretty much just save my wheat cents. I am getting up in age, and don't want to burden my heirs with tons of cents. I cashed most of my cents in at my credit union for no fee, and deposited the money in an interest bearing account.
Its a good way to save as well especially these days
It's a way to save. I don't know about good. They take up space, will break your back, and don't compound in value. But, some people can't be trusted with cash.
I know people who "save" and "invest" by buying silver. They pay a 5 to 10% premium over spot and 8% NY Sales tax, as well. They need a 15 to 20% increase in the price of silver to break even. It is, frankly, a horrible way to save and invest. However, they lack the discipline to put money in a bank and not spend it. So...
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
The dealers by me grudgingly pay $3 per pound for wheat cents. Any Seinfeld fans here recall when Kramer tried to buy calzone’s with cents? The owner got mad and threw him out. “We take cash, not penny’s!” Lugging around 100’s of pounds of copper to make a literally a few bucks make no “cents” to me.
Cue the picture of the guy with rows of garbage cans full of pennies in his garage.....
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/2819
I’m one of those people. Silver is up by 244% in the last year.
“Land of the free because of the brave”
“Saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone”
In Deo solo confidimus
Member since 2026
Successful BST transactions with: Ted 1, JWP, bigjpst, Vetter,
Don't cherry pick your data. Lol.
Sure, worked great this year. Worked less well over most of the last 30 years, especially when people are forced to sell when there are unforeseen expenses. Stacking is fine with your speculative dollars. Paying a 20+% to prevent yourself from spending is not efficient "saving" or even "investing".
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
If saving money by hoarding coins, cash them in periodically and get involved in one or more dividend reinvestment plans that allow the initial shares to be purchased directly from the company or transfer agent. Periodic additional contributions from your rolled coin any any other small windfalls you may experience will add up.
A few decades of this can easily result in a five or even six figure "found money" surprise down the road.
whoops, wrong thread
chopmarkedtradedollars.com
In a garage. No humidity and temperature control. Many if not most of those pennies likely have various stages of corrosion evident.
Einstein’s view of God was non-traditional and pantheistic, focusing on the harmony, order, and intelligibility of the cosmos rather than a personal deity. His quotes reveal a profound respect for the universe’s mysteries, a belief in rational laws, and a moral philosophy grounded in compassion and understanding, bridging science and spirituality.
“My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.”
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879--18 April 1955)
Possibly, but not necessarily. It really depends on what part of the country they are located.
And numerous garages have temperature control.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
you guys are missing my joke, this is the famous chat board picture that seems to surface every so often...
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/2819
We are all aware. You're missing our indifference.
We'd rather get Harsche with our buddy.
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.