Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Selection of Onc Cent Coins. Finds and Photo by Mark G. |
Mark G. sent the above photo and following email message. Below is what Mark said.
I wasn’t going to make a big deal of this. I’m sure all detectorist who dig a lot of coins are familiar with pennies but your post on coins I thought would be a good segway.
I finally had enough coins to start cleaning and tumbling them. First, I had to sort out the pennies and clean them separately from the silver. I am still trying different techniques, solutions and gravel but that is not what this email is about.
Sorting through the pennies I had to start a pile I labeled “will never be currency again,” and it turned out to be the biggest pile.
New pennies or what I call new pennies with the Union Shield on the tales side from 2010 to present are for sure copper-plated zinc and they do not last in salt surf for very long. So as I sorted the Union Shields from the Lincoln Memorial pennies, I noticed they were really eroded as well. What’s going on here I though Lincoln Memorial pennies were all copper, nope. I hit the computer to look this up and it turns out the year is what matters, from 1962 to 1982 pennies were (95% copper, 5% zinc) from 1982 to present they are (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) however what’s wrong with this scenario? That’s right 1982 can be both, there is a *trick to discerning which 1982 penny you have. I will add that at the end.
So as I’m sorting pennies I get an epiphany, I suddenly remembered my father sitting at the kitchen table sorting wheat pennies from roles when I was a kid hoping they would be worth something someday. Am I doing the same thing decades later? Wheat pennies are gone, solid silver coins are all grabbed up, so is the solid copper penny over 40 years old the new wheat penny?
Also found an odd penny that sent me back to the computer, apparently in 2009 there was a Lincoln Bicentennial penny which depicted 4 separate scenes (4 separate striking’s) of Lincoln’s early years for his 200th birthday. Unfortunately they are (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) so they do not hold up well, they have to be uncirculated MS67 or MS69 condition to be worth anything above a penny. Pre 1982 copper pennies have a value in uncirculated condition as well or a melt value of $0.032 for copper which wasn’t covered in your 5/16/2024 post on silver melt value.
*trick: The bronze and copper cents can be distinguished from the newer zinc cents by dropping the coins on a solid surface, or by flipping them in the air with your thumb. The predominantly zinc coins make a lower-pitched "clunk" when hitting the surface, and make no sound when flipped in the air; while the copper coins produce a higher-pitched ringing sound.[8] In addition, a full 50-cent roll of pre-1982/3 coins weighs 5.4 oz (150 g) compared to a post-1982–83 roll which weighs 4.4 oz (120 g).
Thank You
Mark G.
Thanks Mark.
There is money in pennies - even new ones. I personally hate zinc cents, which can rot doing nothing other than sitting in a drawer.
That reminds me of reading about Karl von Mueller hoarding barrels of copper cents back in the 60s or 70s
Here are some interesting tid-bits. I just randomly picked out 2001.
- The typical uncirculated 2001-D penny is worth 10 to 30 cents.
- The all-time record price for a 2001-D penny is $1,150, which is the amount paid in 2008 for an especially nice specimen graded MS69RD by Professional Coin Grading Service.
- The typical uncirculated 2001-D penny is worth 10 to 30 cents.
- The all-time record price for a 2001-D penny is $1,150, which is the amount paid in 2008 for an especially nice specimen graded MS69RD by Professional Coin Grading Service.
Some dealers and collectors will go through rolls of new (and I do mean new this time) pennies and pick out the highest-grade examples that will bring a premium.
And here is info on the Lincoln Bicentennial Series cents.
Lincoln Bicentennial One Cent Program | U.S. Mint (usmint.gov)
Don't clean different kinds of coins together. Copper coins shouldn't be tumbled with silver, for example.
I don't like coin collecting as a hobby, but have spent a lot of time search through older ones while looking for error coins. The huge number of coins of all types is too much for me. Then there are millions of variations. I don't like all the different types of quarters. It becomes impossible to remember all the things to look for. And to top it off, the coin collecting community puts what I feel is an absurd amount of emphasis on coin condition. While I guess I do it to a certain extent, coin collecting is not something I really enjoy. I feel differently about what I'd call treasure coins, which are more rare and a little different. I do enjoy studying those I find and those that are related.
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It has been hot. Below you can see the heat risk for the next few days.
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| Heat Risk. Source: https://www.weather.gov/mlb/ |
We had an afternoon negative tide Friday. The surf remains small.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net