Where to take pennies?

Greetings to all from a new member. I have been an amateur coin collector for many years, nothing high end, but I do have a fair number of coins. I am helping a friend with the disposal of quite a few pennies collected by an elderly gentleman and no, they are not stolen, the gentleman is his 80's and has had to move into an assisted living facilities. My friend is not a coin collector and has already taken more than half of the pennies to the bank and turned them in for face value :crying:. After climbing his case about what they were really worth he has turned disposal of the remaining pennies over to me. That is why I joined the forum today; I need need to find an outlet for the coins (or they will end up at the bank again).


Here is what I know about these coins:

• There are a lot of them! We are talking hundreds of rolls with a face value of $400-$600.
• All are Lincoln Memorial copper coins from 1960 to whenever they stopped making the penny out of copper.
• Coins are split between rolls and loose pennies in bank bags.
• A few of the rolls are uncirculated, same date and mint as they came to the bank (elderly gentleman was a bank VP).
• All are truly unsearched, divided strictly by the presence of the Lincoln Memorial.

Now that I shot my mouth off about not just turning them in, what the heck do I do with them?
Richard
Richmond, VA

 

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Well, if you want to get rid of them quick, I can drive to Richmond this weekend and pay you face for them. The kids will have fun sorting them.

 

If it is a mixed bag/rolls of memorials they'll just pay face.

It doesn't hurt to ask, so call around. If that's what they say then just take it to your local bank.

 

I would send all of the"pennies" back to their home country of England.

 

Well, I can trace my ancestry back to Churchill, so I guess that's why I smoke big fat cigars and call Lincoln cents "pennies" too...

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I used to call cents pennies before I joined CT.I'm over it now, but still have the habit of correcting others.

 

*sigh* He said memorials not Great Brittan. Pennies, coppers, memorials, wheaties, cents.... It's the same coin!

 

I've noticed that calling a cent a penny seems to be a sensitive subject around here. I'm a newbie here, but either one seems fine to me. I personally tend to think of "cent" as the value and "penny" as the name of the coin. Yes, it says "ONE CENT" on it, much like the nickel says "FIVE CENTS" on it, but that's the value, not necessarily the name. A nickel doesn't say "NICKEL" on it anywhere, and no one questions its name. Even the mint uses "cent" and "penny" interchangeably.

 

Bingo!
To the first poster: Why not offer them for sale here on the open forum?

 

That's part of the problem. Instead of using the correct term the Mint uses the common (and incorrect) term, further perpetuating the confusion.

 

Language is what people make it. Penny is a perfectly acceptable term for the US 1/100th of a dollar coin and your never going to change it. Furthermore, the term is specific enough for any serious conversation. In fact, in many regards, it is more specific then the name cent within most contexts since most people will have no idea what you said when you say cent.

It is a historically accurate English word which has been in venecular usage for hundreds of years.


SYLLABICATION: pen·ny
PRONUNCIATION: pn
NOUN: Inflected forms: pl. pen·nies
1. See table at currency. 2. In the United States and Canada, the coin that is worth one cent. 3. Inflected forms: pl. pence ( pns)
a. abbr. p. A coin used in Great Britain since 1971, worth 1/100 of a pound. Also called new penny. b. abbr. d. A coin formerly used in Great Britain, worth 1/12 of a shilling or 1/240 of a pound. 4. Any of various coins of small denomination. 5. A sum of money. 6. One of a set of colored, usually sleeveless shirts worn as a temporary team uniform, as when scrimmaging.
IDIOM: pretty penny A considerable sum of money: I paid a pretty penny for that ring.
ETYMOLOGY: Middle English, an English coin, from Old English penig.



Ruben

 

LOL. That is an option but shipping can be a pain.

By the way I miss Richmond! Beautiful city. Hope it's holding up to all the economic termoil.

 

I agree. I don't think one term is more proper or descriptive than another. I usually think of the word cent or cents as denoting the value, and the word penny as denoting the coin. Similarly, Kennedy halves are each worth a half dollar.

I find myself agreeing with you too much lately, Ruben.

 

I actually put secret encrypted messages into my images and posts which slowly cause you to be brainwashed into my way of thinking.

Ruben

 

BTW - Speedy those far is immune from the affect...

 

As to the OP's question, it depends on how much time and effort you want to expend on them. There are a few very valuable varieties in the Memorial series. I'd advise you to read through this site http://www.lincolncentresource.com/index.html

Now, to add to the nomenclature controversy, I'll add my two cents - You don't call a nickel a five cent or a dime a ten cent, etc. The coin is a PENNY; it's value is ONE CENT.

 

Pennies or Cents.... COINSTAR doesn't care!

 

Ahhh your part of the Hulu conspiracy!

 

Gee, with all the comments about the word "penny" does that mean I have to change my user name? And what about the 1793-2008 collection of pennies that I have?