# Copper Pennies



## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

I didn't want to hyjack the other thread so I thought I would start a new one. Why are you all hoarding copper pennies is it in case SHTF or something else? TYIA!


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## naturelover (Jun 6, 2006)

Below I'm quoting myself from another topic that was about how Canada has now discontinued the penny. The purpose of the post was to show how little copper content there is in present day pennies compared to 20 years ago.

I'm not hoarding pennies but I do have a large container full of pennies collected over the past year that I will be keeping now instead of turning them in to the bank. The only reason I'm keeping them is because they will serve some domestic utilitarian purposes because of their convenient small size and relatively heavy weight. They are easy to drill small holes into and mostly I will be using them as weights in various home projects.





naturelover said:


> Composition of both American and Canadian pennies has changed over the years. There's not much copper in either one of them these days.
> 
> 
> *American penny*: http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/fun_facts/?action=fun_facts2
> ...


.


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## Cabin Fever (May 10, 2002)

Woodpecker said:


> I didn't want to hyjack the other thread so I thought I would start a new one. Why are you all hoarding copper pennies is it in case SHTF or something else? TYIA!


 I have 8 coffee cans full...the big coffee cans, the ones that used to be "3-pound" cans. Am starting to fill can #9.

Why am I hoarding them? Because I'm too lazy to bring them to the bank.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

I am saving and setting the1982 and earlier cents aside, because they are worth 2.5Â¢ each for the copper.

Just the same start as when silver coinage became worth more than face value in 1963/64. 

It is not legal to melt us cents now, but at some point in the near future, It will happen.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Thanks for all the replies, I think I will start doing it too!


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I was watching Pawn Stars last night and The Old Man had a mess of 5 gallon buckets filled with the older solid copper pennies he said he was saving until the law changed so he could scrap them out... 

I've got an old really big Budweiser change jar that's filled with them too... Last time I weighed it I was up to 48lbs... Been collecting them for well over 15 years... Just too lazy to take them to the bank.. and now I'm gonna save them to scrap too..


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

They make great snare locks!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

http://www.happyroostblog.com/2011/12/penny-floor-tutorial.html


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

I have been sorting pennies for almost two years, I sort three boxes (75.00) every week. About 25%of the pennies are copper, it is a zero risk investment


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## airotciv (Mar 6, 2005)

Cyngbaeld said:


> http://www.happyroostblog.com/2011/12/penny-floor-tutorial.html


This is what I have wanted to do for years, but the DH is a coin collecter and won't let me go hear. I have been collecting pennies since I was 3 years old and I now have 350+ lbs of pennies. Yes I'm still going here and the family brings me pennies all the time. I'm not hoarding pennies, I love pennies, a kid thing. LOL


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

well, don't spread the word too much or otherwise people will not want to part with their pennies.


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## Farmer Willy (Aug 7, 2005)

I figured if nothing else I could roll them in paper and shoot them like flachetes (?) from a black powder shotgun. think of the spread from a short roll of pennies.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Farmer Willy said:


> I figured if nothing else I could roll them in paper and shoot them like flachetes (?) from a black powder shotgun. think of the spread from a short roll of pennies.


They would be real easy to pick out of your supper too. :gaptooth:


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

GoldenCityMuse said:


> I am saving and setting the1982 and earlier cents aside, because they are worth 2.5Â¢ each for the copper.
> 
> Just the same start as when silver coinage became worth more than face value in 1963/64.
> 
> It is not legal to melt us cents now, but at some point in the near future, It will happen.


Just suppose that a person had some pre 1982 pennies, and suppose they melted them down and added some scrap copper tubing and various other scrap copper that they had laying around to that. Wouldn't that change the chemical composition enough that it couldn't be determined that pennies were in the mix? Just a wondering :whistlin:


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

Great ideas and info everyone. Please keep it coming!


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## Sawmill Jim (Dec 5, 2008)

TxMex said:


> Just suppose that a person had some pre 1982 pennies, and suppose they melted them down and added some scrap copper tubing and various other scrap copper that they had laying around to that. Wouldn't that change the chemical composition enough that it couldn't be determined that pennies were in the mix? Just a wondering :whistlin:


 Or make thin strips like buss bares in a fuse panel .:angel: Scrap yards probably don't care anyway . :runforhills:


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Out of curiosity, how do you melt down copper?


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## montysky (Aug 21, 2006)

Yes, we keep the 1982 and older pennies, just something I have been doing for years DW is on board too. found a "wheat" penny just the other day have a few, don't mix them with the other pre 82 pennies


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## Hairsheep (Aug 13, 2012)

Interestingly, It might serve goat owners to hold onto copper pennies...since it helps goats ward off parasites!


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## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

TxMex said:


> Out of curiosity, how do you melt down copper?


* * * * * * *
The melting point of copper is 1,984 degrees F.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

montysky said:


> Yes, we keep the 1982 and older pennies, just something I have been doing for years DW is on board too. found a "wheat" penny just the other day have a few, don't mix them with the other pre 82 pennies


 
Not all 1982 pennies are copper, the composition changed in 1982 so some 1982 pennies are zinc. I have been finding 10-15 wheat pennies per 25.00 box, so far I have found three Indian Head pennies.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

copperkid3 said:


> * * * * * * *
> The melting point of copper is 1,984 degrees F.


I heard old vinyl siding, old tires burn hot enough to melt copper.:gaptooth:


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## Hollowdweller (Jul 13, 2011)

I have a buddy who has been making money on getting the pennies from the bank and sorting out the copper ones.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

I think that at least 90% of 1982 cents are the copper ones.

The other way to get the copper from cents [and anything else ] is electrorefining. No heat needed, just some chemicals and electric current.

Somewhat dangerous chemicals, too. Be careful.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

My 1982's have more like 76% copper


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

We have been sorting for 4 years almost....


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## montysky (Aug 21, 2006)

bassmaster17327 said:


> Not all 1982 pennies are copper, the composition changed in 1982 so some 1982 pennies are zinc. I have been finding 10-15 wheat pennies per 25.00 box, so far I have found three Indian Head pennies.


 
Thanks for the information, looks like I need to sort our 84's I did not know about the zinc ones, still hoping to find my first indian head penny.


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## foxfiredidit (Apr 15, 2003)

I don't recall where I read it, it may have been here on HT somewhere...anyway, it was an article about a fellow who takes a hundred bucks down to the bank and buys it all up in coins. He then sorts and separates out the good ones then takes the remainder of the coins back to the bank and trades them back for paper money. He repeats this process whenever he has the time, and is making not a killing, but respectable finds of old silver and copper in the rolls he gets. Mining coin rolls from the bank might be a good way to get at some good ones. 

Like CF, I've got lots of coins as I take all my change at the end of the day and put it into a glass bowl in my room. When that gets full, I transfer it to a bag then set that aside when it gets full. Don't know why I do that, as I have never looked through them to see if there's any silver or good copper. Just one of those weird things. Lately I thought of burying them around on my property and making some treasure maps for my grandkids to find them, maybe after I'm gone or something. Sounds like fun to me.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

There are a LOT of people that sort for copper pennies, I get 75.00 in pennies every week to sort. There are some guys that sort thousands of dollars worth of pennies every week. There was a Nightline episode that had two guys that sorted pennies, both of them are members of another forum I am on


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

I would put my 1982 pennies in there own container and put a ? mark on them. Mixing 82's with bellow 82 pennies is a bad idea.


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## Little_Bit_Red (Nov 19, 2010)

Oh man, I just usually spend mine. Only thing I keep are wheat pennies. I don't have ANY change, ever. I always just use it...didn't know I was doing something 'wrong', lol


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

You are not doing anything wrong, put all you copper pennies back into to circulation for the people (like me) to collect them. If you could put some silver coins into circulation that would be great too


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

I have two containers I found to fill with pennies. Thanks for all the info and advice!


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## doodlemom (Apr 4, 2006)

We used to sew coin weights into hems of curtains and skirts to keep them from blowing.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

Five gallon buckets work well for storing pennies. $250.00 worth pennies will fit in a five gallon buck, that is about 170 pounds


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

bassmaster17327 said:


> Five gallon buckets work well for storing pennies. $250.00 worth pennies will fit in a five gallon buck, that is about 170 pounds


if that bucket was filled with pre-82 pennies then that would be a nice chunk of change, more then double there literal value.


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

City Bound said:


> if that bucket was filled with pre-82 pennies then that would be a nice chunk of change, more then double there literal value.


 
Current melt value of 250.00 of pre 82 pennies would be $613.18


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## LoonyK (Dec 12, 2009)

Sometimes I look at this link

http://www.coinflation.com/
looks like only nickels are the only money being made now with similar face and metal value. Some people are collecting them that don't do the whole sorting game with pennies.


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

I want to ask too which years are silver coins? TYIA!


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## bassmaster17327 (Apr 6, 2011)

1964 and older for dollars,half dollars,quarters,and dimes. 1942-1945 for Nickels


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## Woodpecker (Mar 8, 2007)

bassmaster17327 said:


> 1964 and older for dollars,half dollars,quarters,and dimes. 1942-1945 for Nickels


Thanks! I'll put those in a seperate container.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

I ran across this today. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrje73EyKag[/ame] I just happen to have a fresnel lens.


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