Is it just the area that I live in or is it getting hard everywhere finding anything but the new Lincoln cents. My bank almost never has anything and I've checked out several other banks and they don't either. I heard from someone the government is taking all of the pre 82's for copper value "dont know how true that is" but that wouldn't explain where all the post 82 cents are. I had luck getting older cents up to a year ago but poof all these shield cents just flooded the banks.
Only the government would undertake a project like taking back all of the pre-82 cents because it costs more to refine the copper than it is worth. The government doesn't care because it is our money, not theirs. With that said, I doubt that the rumor is true because it would take far too much manpower to sort through the trillions and trillions of cents that are in circulation. Chris
There are machines that can sort the copper pennies from the others, sort of like the change sorters at the bank. There are large recycling companies that use these to sort through industrial scrap. Very little man power would be needed to run this type of operation.With these machines they can sort through tens of tons of pennies in an hour. Besides, if the government were doing this, they would have to have the banking systems help. From what I'm reading on the forums 10-15 copper cents being found per roll by roll searchers might not be worth the effort of our government. At my age, 58, I don't see copper rising enough in price for the average person to truly benefit.
If your bank that you do most of your business with will allow, ask them to order you a full box of 2500 coins. Just make sure to drop them somewhere else so as not to annoy them afterwards. My bank will do this and I find plenty of older dates,errors, etc. It might take them a couple/three days to get them so don't forget to pick them up right away or they will likely not do it again.
Correct again Rick. And once again, especially those from Philly which have lots of die cracks at the top of the shield and the C in Cent.
The obverse is not to bad, although after 106 years, it might be time for a change. I agree Rick, that the reverse is not very appealing. Dave
Wouldn't doubt it a bit after all it is a "strategic metal" needed for ammo manufacture alone! At the rate the guys burn thru it the manufacturers can't keep up...
I have only done a few boxes of cents this year, all at the beginning of the year. First box only had ten or so coppers
I live on the West coast near San Francisco. My bank (Bank of the West) usually gets me one or two boxes every week. Sometimes they can't because the mint is low and they will ask my bank to pay shipping which they won't do. I've gone to the local Citibank twice and they have given me boxes even though I don't have an account there. In a typical roll there are about 1/3 to 1/2 shield cents, 10 each 70's, and 80's with most of the rest being 1990-2008, and a couple of 50's & 60's. Most of the cents I get are from the Denver mint, and a few older San Francisco mints coins. Only a couple of Philadelphia's per roll. There are not as many errors on the Denver cents as the S, and P mint. I wish I could find a better source but I don't know where. If my bank does not have a box sometimes they will sell me some out of the drawer and sometimes customer wrapped rolls. I am not finding much but every once in a while I find a nice doubled die, or RPM.
