I'm a prepper as well, saving pennies.

My family has been prepping for years. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

My family and I have things to live for and to continue living for even if something were to happen.

" I'd rather die than have to survive"- this just doesnt seem right to me. And im one he says needs mental help.

 

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I hate to burst your bubble, but copper cents are not worth more than their face value because of the copper content.

First of all, the copper cents are an alloy, not Grade A copper. If you take the time to call reclamation centers in your area, you will find that alloyed copper is only worth about 25% of the price quoted for Grade A copper. Therefore, Grade A copper would have to be selling for about $5.70 per pound just for you to be able to break even.

Chris

 

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I don't have any friends. I guess I'll have to keep stacking and stocking.

 

It's not worth the time to save cents at face value that won't appreciate.
And in the future, when they get rid of cents, if you don't cash them in before the deadline, you will be stuck with 10 55 gallon drums of slag metal.

 

It won't surprise you that I disagree fully. And that's from a guy whose father died just last night. Some conditions are simply not worth living through. A financial apocalypse included.

 

Who could possibly think that saving money is relevant to surviving a societal collapse?

Food. Ammunition. Firearms. Tools. Books. Medicine. Save the stuff that's going to be important, that people will need to survive, if society collapses. That's what will be currency then. Who's gonna carry around the weight of precious metals?

And collect coins if you like coins.

 

My sincere condolences Kurt. Jim

 

Mine as well.

 

My condolences. I had no idea.

 

Also very sorry to hear this V. Kurt. 7 years here and it seems like yesterday.

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

Chris

 

Sorry for your loss. TC

 

Kurt, I am sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to you and your family. I do not pray, but you will be in my thoughts.

I have considered you a friend for a long time and if there is anything I can do, you know how to reach me.

 

I waited a bit before I wanted to weigh in. It wasn't easy to express succinctly, and therefore I ask for your forgiveness in advance, this post is likely my second longest of my tenure here, the longest being an actual article.

The problem with this discussion primarily is the different angles that everyone comes to it from.

While I agree that I can't understand the self-described "prepper" mentality, I don't expect to understand everyone in the world. I don't see them as having any adverse impact on society as a whole, and so in the words of my brother, "God bless", more power to ya. I think that a "be prepared" mentality would serve most everyone very well.

I say this only because it's impossible to understand my point of view unless you know where it comes from.

I don't see where silver and gold are going to automatically become the preferred method of exchange in a post-apocalyptic world. What about barter?

Guns and ammo will likely be more important than anything else, but if I were prepping, I'd look outside of the box and ditch the pennies. Because unless you can turn them into ammunition of some sort, they're taking up space and money that could probably be better placed elsewhere.

 

I like the @mikenoodle and @SuperDave answers for practicalities.

There doesn't have to be a zombie apocalypse or WWIII to need a bit of preparation. A natural disaster works, and perhaps my perspective comes bit from living in Japan when the big earthquake/tsunami hit. How many people would do well even a week without? Not that we went without much (though I got a tad more concerned when the iodine tablets were passed out...), and not exactly the same situations...but it did make me think.

And, why not try and survive and thrive in an emergency?

For the OP question, I don't think there is anything WRONG with holding the copper pennies but what role are they playing? Actual money/trade or as a financial hedge/tool?

In a real badness type situation they are unlikely to be as useful. Ammo of differing calibers, toilet paper, tubes of hydrocortisone cream, bottles of motrin, feminine hygiene products, diapers, cigarettes, and my favorite--airline sized bottles of booze, would probably be the most useful for small bartering situations.

Longer term things like a generator, water, an x-number of days of food, entertainment (books??!!) well that is personal. Anyone should be able to go a week without power IMO. More than that, up to you. Oh, and COFFEE. And a way to make it!

Have a great set of local friends/social network. Know your neighbors and hopefully be friendly enough that you would all stick together. Great in an emergency, or in everyday life. What if my neighbor across the street fell down? Well, if I didn't see her for a day I'd know to knock on her door!

Anyway, IMO not too much call for silver and gold in the disaster sense. Now, as an investment/financial hedge sure! Keep it physical instead of paper, not a bad idea, tons of forums discussing it. This is where copper is the problem. Too hard to manage in quantities likely to make sense as a financial hedge, again, IMO.

 

Oh, hell, I forgot coffee. I'd rather die than live without coffee.

 

Thank you, Jim. You're a stand up guy. Thank you all for your kind words. He was my first numismatic "teacher". He's the guy who bought all the books for an 8-year-old with a passion. And don't think it doesn't please me that much of Dad's holdings will some day be passed on to my son, and hopefully some day to his kid(s). We're that kind of family. Heritage matters to us.

 

Kurt, my condolences to you and your family as well!

 

Coffee I can do without, but not covfefe.

 

I guess how much of whatever follows a disaster one is willing to wade through is dependent on many things. How many others still depend on you? How is your general health? How existentially dependent are you on the availability of modern pharmaceuticals?

My answers are:
None
Pretty crappy
Completely and utterly (without access to 8 prescription drugs, I'm dead in a week anyway.)

So yeah, I'm "all in" with our current modern society. It is what keeps me alive and I harbor no cowboy Old West fantasies. If this were even two DECADES ago, I would have died at 54.

So tell me, why would I want to be a prepper? They won't even SELL me "future stock" of several of my scrips.

But ... I still can shoot darned straight, and I may just decide my last quest is to take out as many idiots as I can, so don't come looking for me.