Copper Cents in your Change??

BNBAnalytics · February 21, 2010 7:00AM

I just found 6... Am I lucky or do you find them all the time in your spare change?

I'm out in California btw..

bnb

Robb · February 21, 2010 7:03AM

Rough estimate of 30ish% of my $25 bank box breaks are copper. Usually a dozen or so of those are Wheaties.

JamesMurray · February 21, 2010 7:04AM

I get them regularly in Pa , everybody and thier cat is keeping them aside as the copper price creeps higher so i guess the day will come when its rare to find one.

stinkinlincoln · February 21, 2010 7:07AM

I get them in Jersey all the time. I also find silver alot lately too.

drwstr123 · February 21, 2010 7:07AM

Picked up a 1920 Philly last night at Rite-Aid pharmacy.

tahoe98 · February 21, 2010 7:11AM

<< I get them regularly in Pa , everybody and their cat is keeping them aside as the copper price creeps higher so i guess the day will come when its rare to find one. >>

....where in pa. are you from, james?

JamesMurray · February 21, 2010 7:19AM

A friendly wee community in Bucks Co Tahoe , up to my knees in snow currently.

robkool · February 21, 2010 7:20AM

Here in So. Cali... It's more like 20~30% found in change, or bank rolls.

Baley · February 21, 2010 7:26AM

I've calculated that by saving copper cents, if I factor in possible increases in copper prices, offset by the value of my time, effort, storage, risk, and opportunity cost, I might only lose several percent each year, and might even break even some day! (if I don't break my back lugging these heavy jars, cans, and boxes of pennies, or break my toe on them in the dark)

tahoe98 · February 21, 2010 7:36AM

<< A friendly wee community in Bucks Co Tahoe , up to my knees in snow currently.

>>

.....yikes! we got snow too, over here in beaver county.

JamesMurray · February 21, 2010 7:36AM

I kinda like going through my change at night if ive been out , looking around various forums regardless of subject matter theres a lot of times the same question and replies, a lot of people are doing it,keeping the pre82's i mean.
No doubt i might be corrected here but the last i read a copper 1c was actually worth 1.5c in copper ?

Weiss · February 21, 2010 8:03AM

Per coinflation, a pre-82 copper cent is currently "worth" $.0222113 cents, or 222.11% of face value.

I honestly don't understand coin collectors/hoarders who don't save copper cents. It takes all of an instant to check the date of a coin--this is something we all should be doing automatically as coin collectors. It's not effort or work, it's fun, and it's part of our hobby. It's why you're reading this.

And lugging coins? That is such a burden, isn't it?

What other investments are paying an instant 125% right now?

Why save silver quarters and half dollars? They'll never be worth anything.

The value of an ounce of silver in 1963? $1.29
The value of an ounce of silver in 1964? $1.29
The value of an ounce of silver in 1965? $1.29
The value of an ounce of silver in 1966? $1.29

Yep. A silver half was worth exactly $.46 in 1966. And you can bet I would have saved them by the fistfull if I'd been alive.

Those half dollars wouldn't have been worth 221% of face until about 1973. And by then the mint had released about a billion cupro halves.

221% of face is 221% of face. We're coin collectors. I'm going to visit your house tonight, and I better see a jar with some copper cents in it.

coinzzguy · February 21, 2010 8:11AM

Just drop ONE into your bird bath and you will not have algae FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ed1840 · February 21, 2010 8:14AM

I find a good mix of pre 82's. I save from 1975 back, why I don't know. I just got a 1939 dime in change yesterday. It's pretty nice in xf+ condition. I didn't realize it until after I got home, so I didn't get to check with the cashier for more.

GoldenEyeNumismatics · February 21, 2010 8:29AM

<< 

What other investments are paying an instant 125% right now? >>

What other investments literally force you to build your holding cent by cent?

I don't save copper cents.

JamesMurray · February 21, 2010 9:02AM

<< 

<< 

What other investments are paying an instant 125% right now? >>

What other investments literally force you to build your holding cent by cent?

I don't save copper cents. >>

Its not so much an investment , id rather put the zinc ones back in circulation.Seems a harmless no brainer thing to do , an old canvas bank bag is just the job.

anablep · February 21, 2010 9:46AM

50% at least in NY

cladking · February 21, 2010 9:53AM

They seem to actually be increasing around here. They hit about 20% or
a little more around 1996 and stayed fairly stable for many years. It seemed
the zincs were corroding away at a sort of steady state and the coppers just
kept getting redeemed fast enough to keep the ratio pretty steady around
4: 1.

But recently few new cents are seen and the percentage of coppers has crept
up to north of 25%. The other day I got seven of ten cents that were copper,
but of course this was a fluke.

DieClash · February 21, 2010 9:56AM

Whatever happened to The Cent Project

ProofArtworkonCircs · February 21, 2010 10:01AM

There are still plenty of copper cents hereabouts. This is in contrast to late 1982 when they were very scarce for awhile.

Copper Cents in your Change??

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