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5 gallon water cooler bottle full of lincolns-PICS ADDED

wowsier where to begin

My current boss has a 5 gallon jug of lincolns. his father started filling it in 1964 before he died. the bottle was continued to be filled uptil early 1985 when it topped out (you cannot get one more in it)

fast forward to august of this year-this jug sat next to my desk haunting me everyday, oh how i wanted to pick thru what was in it. I asked my boss who is also a childhood friend if he would sell it to me. I was told it was his kids and he was going to roll the contents and cash em in at the bank. so I let it go, but they recently moved to a new location and the jug cracked in the move. the kid has started rolling them, so I told him to watch for certain coins, to which he replied he has "no interest". Took me a day or two, but i have gotten him to agree to sell all rolls to me instead of bringing to the bank.

One can only imagine what could be in it, as these guys do not look at change, it gets tossed into jugs and forgotten-quick scan of the jug shows extreme 70's concentration, and alot of wheats-very few post 82's

ANY GUESS AS TO HOW MANY ROLLS WILL COME FROM THIS JUG?

WILL MY EYESIGHT SURVIVE?

edited to add pics of the jug, the jug sits where it cracked (jug is plastic, couldnt hold weight- and the other photos are what broke out of the jug, we placed them in a 5 gallon pail-

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Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
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Comments

  • My mother had a large water coller bottle full as well a few years back. One day we decided to sort them and roll them. There were about 6 rolls of circ. wheaties in it. I guess she had started filling it a bit late, but it was still fun. Good luck. By the way, I think we ended up with about $130, or 260 rolls, but I'm probably mistaken??
    Everything I write is my opinion.

    Looking for alot of crap.
  • BubbleheadBubblehead Posts: 1,621 ✭✭✭
    image

    Some deja vu thing is nagging me to say maybe $700 worth of
    cents...?
  • gripgrip Posts: 9,962 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I dont have a clue to this....ANY GUESS AS TO HOW MANY ROLLS WILL COME FROM THIS JUG?

    WILL MY EYESIGHT SURVIVE? Yes! just dont do them all at onceimage

    But it sure would be funimage
    AL
  • PerryHallPerryHall Posts: 45,301 ✭✭✭✭✭
    COINSTAR

    Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.

  • DennisHDennisH Posts: 13,963 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would guess there are about 8-10 bags of cents in there... that's 40,000 to 50,000 coins, or 800-1,000 rolls.

    Have fun!
    When in doubt, don't.
  • I think the chances of you finding a gem or two
    are pretty high.
    Good Luck!
  • Very anal !

    987.19 rolls of cents,assuming no air gaps and exactly 5 gallons.

    493.69 dollars

    one cent displaces .023400 cubic inches

    5 gallons of water diplaces 1,155 cubic inches which should equal 49,369 cents !

    THAT was just WRONG !
    image
  • TommyTypeTommyType Posts: 4,586 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>Very anal !

    987.19 rolls of cents,assuming no air gaps and exactly 5 gallons.

    493.69 dollars

    one cent displaces .023400 cubic inches

    5 gallons of water diplaces 1,155 cubic inches which should equal 49,369 cents !

    THAT was just WRONG ! >>



    And some people don't like math. Look how useful it is! image

    The only fault I see is your main assumption: "assuming no air gaps". I'm betting there's probably a gallon or more worth of air-gap. Solid objects don't pack as well as we sometimes assume.
    Easily distracted Type Collector
  • Lets assume the bottle is not exactly 5 gallons,im sure part of the neck dont count,lets call it 10 % empty or 90 % full and it contains 5,000 less coins or 50 bucks so about 443.00 !

    We also need to assume its not a 6 Gallon Bottle !

    I have a six gallon one i make BEER in !

    First person to guess how much 45,000 cents weight wins the fabulous prize of " NOTHING "
    image
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭
    My figure would be far closer to the 700 rolls guessed earlier than the 900 point something done by Mr. Wizard.

    There's a lot to be on the watch for, but one thing's certain. If you pull out all of the red unc coins I'll buy them from you for double face plus shipping.
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭


    << <i>First person to guess how much 45,000 cents weight wins the fabulous prize of " NOTHING " >>



    304 pounds.
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • Come on Chuck !

    do the math !

    I should add that i am amazed you did not have the answer on the top o yur head !

    Proof
    image
  • coinnut86coinnut86 Posts: 1,592 ✭✭✭
    852 rolls

    Thanks for the chance in this awesome giveaway image
    image
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭
    lol you guys rock...

    let me address some comments

    1) the kid is rolling them now, im taking them for face, and as for the coinstar comment, thats their exact destination once i poke thru them. this is a very cheap form of entertainment for me, and Ive been begining to take a interest in copper, I kind of feel like i did when I began to notice jefferys

    2) tommy is dead on with the math comment-I wouldnt have a clue how to do that image
    the comment of a gallon of air is in reff to the water bottle being full five gallons id assume, the cents before the move were to the very top, you could not even balance another on top without it falling out.

    3)im mainly looking to hopefully find the following:

    1982 cents-I hoard them, dont ask why

    1983 & 1984-for obvious reasons

    1972 cents

    1995 but that error is kinda hard to see 30x

    anything else you can add I would find interesting? I have found by my looking thru so many cents (been doing so on a small scale lately, as interest has been peaked) I can pick out certain dates, and their strike is very distinct (1972 cents) just by picking up rev side first, which again peaks my interest.
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • cohodkcohodk Posts: 18,553 ✭✭✭✭✭
    My guess is 2.4% will be wheaties.
    Excuses are tools of the ignorant

    Knowledge is the enemy of fear

  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭
    I should have mentioned on most of the dates id look thru, mainly just looking for double dies, and anything that has the distinct charectoristics, you know, those coins that reach out and smack you image
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • Chuck,

    i make it 308.536 lbs assuming no zinc crap !
    image
  • we had a gallon jug full of cents, one of the glass wine jugs
    when it got full we had a household contest. closest guess...winner take all.
    wife won with a $65.00 guess........
    so i would say your five gallon has approx $325 in it
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭
    I will leave all content guesses till the end, but will update the amount at the end and throw something at the winner image
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • Actually that was a nice exercise !

    Thanks Bill !
    image
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭


    << <i>Actually that was a nice exercise !

    Thanks Bill ! >>



    no i thank everyone-Ive had to curb expenses on collecting, and really wanted to find the most interesting but affordable way of occupying time and hobby interests-im finding that I am liking this new venture
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • sinin1sinin1 Posts: 7,500
    from what you said, I would guess over a quarter of them would be wheat cents

    save those, as people on eBay pay ;ots for the


    100proof1957 your math exercise lacks merit


    3.11 grams as minted unless 1943 or 1982 zinc or later

    those are initial mint specifications - worn one cent pieces weigh less


    coppercoins answer probably is closer than yours



    have you ever weighed 1000 circulated cents?
  • Well Sinin 1,lets see your math !
    image
  • Sort out the wheaties, and dump the rest at a casino with 1 cent slots.
  • BigEBigE Posts: 6,949 ✭✭✭
    Just weigh them, I believe a 50.00 bag weighs 33 pounds---------------BigE
    I'm glad I am a Tree
  • michaelmichael Posts: 9,524 ✭✭
    the first 1972 ddo found is mineimage
  • michaelmichael Posts: 9,524 ✭✭
    oh and i guesstimate 310 pounds all these cents weigh
  • mrearlygoldmrearlygold Posts: 17,858 ✭✭✭
    I started mine almost 20 years ago and it's only .80% filled. It's heavy!
  • I have a water cooler in my garage with a dead gold fish in it!

    image
    live each day like it's your last but don't count on it!
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭


    << <i>I have a water cooler in my garage with a dead gold fish in it!

    image >>



    fromt what mint? image
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Happy New Years guys... talk about anal- I may win on this one-I have 3 full to the neck 5 gallon jugs in my basement that I have never looked thru. All were filled in the late 70's to about 84. I used to buy at least 1 roll a day (from the cash register where I worked) and just open em and dump em in. Someday...someday....
    Some coins are just plain "Interesting"
  • CoinosaurusCoinosaurus Posts: 9,614 ✭✭✭✭✭


    << <i>The only fault I see is your main assumption: "assuming no air gaps". I'm betting there's probably a gallon or more worth of air-gap. Solid objects don't pack as well as we sometimes assume. >>



    Correctamundo. This is what I call the "settling factor". An easy way to measure this is to put a large number of coins into a fixed size container, shake it up, and then top off the container with water. Pour the whole thing through a strainer and measure how much water comes out the bottom. You should find that about 20%-30% of the total space is "air gaps". This proportion will slightly change depending on what denomination you are using (if I recall correctly, the smaller the coin the better the "fill rate").
  • RWRW Posts: 485
    Sounds like a lifetime of fun! image
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Sounds like a lifetime of fun! image >>



    A single water jug full would take me less than two weeks to view through a microscope....yes, every coin, obverse and reverse.
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • mrearlygoldmrearlygold Posts: 17,858 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Sounds like a lifetime of fun! image >>





    It's also a neat home accessory image
  • RWRW Posts: 485


    << <i>A single water jug full would take me less than two weeks to view through a microscope....yes, every coin, obverse and reverse. >>



    How long after that until you regain your sanity? image I love going through OBW rolls but I go nuts by about the 40th coin!
  • Got Mine! Yep, I pretty much went nuts looking through 50 coins so I threw them all back in for a different time!

    image
    image
  • How many pennys in an ounce?
    GTS
  • TwoSides2aCoinTwoSides2aCoin Posts: 43,796 ✭✭✭✭✭
    some serious hoarders out there........... My advice is to get to cherry pickin' and keep an eye out for "key" dates and very HIGH grade dates of each year. There are many "keys" that come to mind

    1969 S DDO
    1941 DDO
    1972 DDO
    1960 sm/lg dates
    1983 DDR and all the varieties of 1982
    1984 DDO
    1955 DDO... the list goes on

    Coppercoins, now you are a serious oneimage! That is a lot of pennies for anyone to check in two weeks, both front and back (obv/rev), plus separating them into a manageable asset (collectibles vs. commons). However, when coins are all that one does, I believe it could be done. When I first read this thread yesterday, I wanted to first say that while it is exciting to be able to have the opportunity to buy someone's "hoard", the serious work can cost you your vision. It would be more fun to have a party for the neighbor kids and make a contest where they can put them in piles according to dates. Then separate them by mint mark, etc etc... but hey, in the meantime it's just dead weight lying around.
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭
    I guess I should render an official guess....723 rolls, plus a partial. The chances it will work out to be an exact number of 50 coin rolls is extremely remote. Heck, even buying wheat bags that supposedly have 5,000 coins in them is rather remote. I have had honestly offered bags contain anywhere from 4,935 coins up to 5,120 coins, but over the course of years and relatively extreme number of bags I've counted (50-60 bags over time) I have NEVER run into one that had exactly 5,000 coins in it.

    As for how I keep my sanity when going through a bag of coins....who said I was sane to begin with??

    new thread started with more specific searching information - I don't want to hijack this thread.
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • 291fifth291fifth Posts: 23,898 ✭✭✭✭✭
    By 1964 nearly all of the good Lincolns had been pulled out of circulation. The late-50's and early 60's were the last great period of circulation finds. The market collapsed in May of 1964. There may not be much of interest in your lot unless you are willing to get out your high power magnifying glass and check the coins for die varieties. You probably will find some of those.
    All glory is fleeting.
  • JRoccoJRocco Posts: 14,277 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Be careful with that glass jug MPeter. I had one let go on me years ago and the darn thing could cut your foot off with the weight of the coins behind it. Get yourself one of the plastic jugs.
    Some coins are just plain "Interesting"
  • coppercoinscoppercoins Posts: 6,084 ✭✭✭


    << <i>By 1964 nearly all of the good Lincolns had been pulled out of circulation. The late-50's and early 60's were the last great period of circulation finds. The market collapsed in May of 1964. There may not be much of interest in your lot unless you are willing to get out your high power magnifying glass and check the coins for die varieties. You probably will find some of those. >>



    That depends completely upon what you're looking for...and a high power magnifier isn't required for dozens of different die varieties - unless you consider 5X a high power glass. Many nice die varieties are out there waiting for a person who wants to educate themselves in the field and grab some coins to look through. 1964 itself has a very nice naked-eye doubled die reverse that brings close to $100 in uncirculated grades. 1970S small dates are still out there. 1971 doubled dies aren't too tough to find, and in today's market they sell for $50 in AU, and far higher in BU.

    I wouldn't scoff at the idea of finding nice die varieties, and certainly wouldn't disclude them from any search through the coins. The days of just going through a pile of pocket change for 1909S VDB, 1914D and 1931S cents is indeed over...but there is FAR more out there to be discovered for the self-educated.
    C. D. Daughtrey, NLG
    The Lincoln cent store:
    http://www.lincolncent.com

    My numismatic art work:
    http://www.cdaughtrey.com
    USAF veteran, 1986-1996 :: support our troops - the American way.
    image
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭
    last year i found a sale on ebay for 22 pounds of wheats, pulled from circ and thrown in a box. I forget what I paid for it, but had some serious fun sorting em all by decade then by year. I pulled loads of dates 1909-1958...even pulled a 1922 weak D out of it I sent to MERZ (where is he by the way?) I need to pull up that old thread
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭
    wow what I thought was a year ago was:


    merz2
    Date Posted: May/10/2001 8:38 PM
    Bill
    I think this is a 1922 die 3 weak D.I THINK THE OTHER IS A 1909-S.Under magnification it looks like IMHO !!!!
    merz2
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • pontiacinfpontiacinf Posts: 8,915 ✭✭
    added pics of jug, so im TTT this
    image

    Go BIG or GO HOME. ©Bill
  • Its a little more than 400 bucks. I bought them from the bank and looked for wheaties. In my opinion its a hell of a lot of work, but will find a lot of rpms in there for sure, but you may be blind when your done.
    Collecting cleaned, scratched, scraped, AT and ugly POS coins for over 2 years now!
  • CladiatorCladiator Posts: 17,918 ✭✭✭✭✭
    new update?
  • IrishMikeIrishMike Posts: 7,738 ✭✭✭
    In 1999 one of my coworkers at the bank asked me to search through his bag of wheaties, every time a teller got one they save it for him. As it turned out mostly 40's, 50's 30's and some teens, hardly any 20's. The nicest coin was a 1911. I will never ever volunteer to do that again for anyone. Most boring hours I have spent in a long time.

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