Reply to Thread

Message:: [QUOTE="Michael K, post: 3094943, member: 78298"]Correction. In my haste, I posted the mintage for the Denver production for that year, I came upon this:The Mint has never released the mintage breakdown for the 1982 types of cents, other than reporting the total number of one cent coins minted at each mint.Philadelphia - 10,712,525,000Denver - 6,012,979,368They made 17 billion cents and most of them are LD but we don't know how many are Small Dates. I think they switched to zinc towards the end of the year, so there are more copper 1982's than zinc. I don't know when they went to the Small Date, but I imagine 20% of the coins are SD and 80% LD.That still makes 2 billion Philly small dates, 1 billion copper, 1 billion zinc, and  that makes 1 billion Denver small date zinc.In 1964 they minted a HUGE amount of coins, I assume to use up all the silver. Did they do the same thing in 1982 to use up all the copper? But that makes no sense. For 1 thing we don't need 17 billion pennies. That's almost 20 years worth. Another thing, nickels are 75% copper. OK these rolls are already alloyed at 95% copper, and 5% tin and zinc, while nickels are 75% copper and 25% nickel. It would hardly breech the integrity of the nickel if the composition was 72% copper 3% tin and zinc and 25% nickel for a year or 2.[/QUOTE]