What would you do with these pennies ?
- Thread starter CA.KID
- Start date
Jo ann
Elite Member
Haha, why are you giving them to me?
CA.KID
Senior Member
A relative was going to put these in his will for me but I thought it would be fun to go through them now. He started saving them in 1958 when he was playing poker with some friends. At the time he didn't care about dates or collectable coins so he just kept them in a coffee can and some time later he transferred them to the glass 5 gallon bottle. If you look close you can see wheaties galore ! I'm sure there are some very old coins at the bottom. It would be quite a chore to seperate them.
Jo ann
Elite Member
A fun chore, have a buddy or two come by for pizza movie or sports and help you go through them.
Mntnclmbr
Forum Supporter
Don't pick it up by the neck of the bottle.
The bottom will break off.
Happened to a friend with quarters.
Looks like fun.
Have fun rolling them
The bottom will break off.
Happened to a friend with quarters.
Looks like fun.
Have fun rolling them
CA.KID
Senior Member
We figured 30,000 pennies in a 5 gallon container .... how many fit into a cup and how many cups in 5 gallons and so forth. $3000.00 dollars if just rolled up. But I think theres a treasure at the bottom !! Im trying to convince my relative of that so we can go through them now !
chris kennedy
Elite Member
lol. thats a lot of pennies, how much do the pennies actually weigh?
blindsquirrel
Senior Member
Sorry to burst your bubble but 30,000 pennies is $300.Why don't you have a Penny Auction? I bid .01
Sort coppers from zincs and wheats from the coppers. Roll up all the copper ones and sell them by the $100 face value on eBay. Roll zincs and take to bank (unless your bank has a coin machine, then no need.) Keep wheats. That's what I would do anyways.
amc rulz
Forum Supporter
Selling copper cents on Epay is hardly worth the effort, that is, unless you place little value on your time.
Personally, I would seperate the wheats and dump the rest through a coin counter.
Personally, I would seperate the wheats and dump the rest through a coin counter.
CA.KID
Senior Member
I guess that's what you get when you don't do the math yourself. sounded right at first. Seems like there has to be more than $300.00 in the bottle. I figured when he started saving back in the 50's there would be all kinds of wheaties and IH'S. Should worth A LOT more than just roled up value !
Don't get too excited about this....You might have a rare one but doubtful. KT thinks you do a quick sort....separate IHs, wheaties, and copper from the rest. Copper has no scrap value now but may in the future....dump rest in coin machine.
Unless you happen to have a key date in the IHs or wheaties, since they all were pulled from circulation, you may get a nickel apiece for them from someone filling a collection holder. Otherwise roll them and lay back for your kids or grandkids!
Have a coin dealer look through the IHs and Wheaties to tell you if you have key dates if you don't buy a redbook and do it yourself!
Unless you happen to have a key date in the IHs or wheaties, since they all were pulled from circulation, you may get a nickel apiece for them from someone filling a collection holder. Otherwise roll them and lay back for your kids or grandkids!
Have a coin dealer look through the IHs and Wheaties to tell you if you have key dates if you don't buy a redbook and do it yourself!
DirtyRob
Forum Supporter
All bad advice....kinda. Too bad you don't have a long cold winter to check the coins out.
I would have a BLAST.
1st I would seperated the zinc and copper. But I have a Ryedale! It's gonna take FOREVER to get those coins out of there.
I would take out the wheats, Canadian and foreign, and possible indian head cents.
Then I would start looking for errors! NOT ALL ERRORS in those books. Just the higher priced ones.
I have connections in CA that would give more than face for the coppers, especially if you don't have to mail them. Sell these and buy some silver and gold.
Take the zinc (non-errors) to the bank and either buy silver or gold with it.
The common wheats you can sell here, ebay, Craigslist, or where ever. Buy silver or gold with the proceeds.
Keep or sell any semi-key and key date wheats.
I would love to have this problem!
I would have a BLAST.
1st I would seperated the zinc and copper. But I have a Ryedale! It's gonna take FOREVER to get those coins out of there.
I would take out the wheats, Canadian and foreign, and possible indian head cents.
Then I would start looking for errors! NOT ALL ERRORS in those books. Just the higher priced ones.
I have connections in CA that would give more than face for the coppers, especially if you don't have to mail them. Sell these and buy some silver and gold.
Take the zinc (non-errors) to the bank and either buy silver or gold with it.
The common wheats you can sell here, ebay, Craigslist, or where ever. Buy silver or gold with the proceeds.
Keep or sell any semi-key and key date wheats.
I would love to have this problem!
T-DUB
Elite Member
Good non metal detecting days to sort through...thought I saw a couple silvers in there...does anyone else see them ?
CA.KID
Senior Member
Thanks everyone for your input. Hopefully someday I can post a photo of that bottle cracked open and a bunch of cans with sorted out pennies in it ! Its killin me just wondering whats in there.
To dirtyrob,
You may be right, but KT just looks at the time it would take to sort all those pennies by hand, and the fellow does not have a mechanical sorter.
Time is money as they say....if you have fun with it, then have at it. but it could turn into a lot of work AND time.
As for the copper pennies...ok, maybe he lives close to one of your buyers, but maybe he doesn't. CA is a big state! Gas cost might just eat him up unless the buyers would be passing through on their way and pick them up.
Errors are a possibility that KT had not thought of, granted, but to get familar with the better common ones will take time and some education. He will have to spend some time learning all that....fun of the hobby of course!
There are just some pros and cons to this situation, but since he has them, and is in no rush, he can take plenty of time when he is not doing anything else...like a filler job or project you come back to again and again when other things slack off a bit! That is the way KT would do it, perhaps a couple handfuls at a time every evening or so! That way he can loupe every coin!
And BTW, don't bust that bottle! Someone will give ya a $10.00 bill! That's profit!
You may be right, but KT just looks at the time it would take to sort all those pennies by hand, and the fellow does not have a mechanical sorter.
Time is money as they say....if you have fun with it, then have at it. but it could turn into a lot of work AND time.
As for the copper pennies...ok, maybe he lives close to one of your buyers, but maybe he doesn't. CA is a big state! Gas cost might just eat him up unless the buyers would be passing through on their way and pick them up.
Errors are a possibility that KT had not thought of, granted, but to get familar with the better common ones will take time and some education. He will have to spend some time learning all that....fun of the hobby of course!
There are just some pros and cons to this situation, but since he has them, and is in no rush, he can take plenty of time when he is not doing anything else...like a filler job or project you come back to again and again when other things slack off a bit! That is the way KT would do it, perhaps a couple handfuls at a time every evening or so! That way he can loupe every coin!
And BTW, don't bust that bottle! Someone will give ya a $10.00 bill! That's profit!
tonym
Elite Member
DirtyRob
Forum Supporter
I bet there are more than 30,000 pennies in there.
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