My CRH setup and process - what's yours?

The TV is on but muted most of the time; local sports radio is what I listen to mostly. I get how you do the filming and that's cool, but would never work for me, would be more like work than just a relaxing hobby.

I do enjoy your videos and plan to watch more once retirement kicks in!

 

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This is from an old website regarding sorting cents (thecentproject.com). You can google "The Cent Project" to find it's current status and various incarnations. Regardless, here's how they suggested sorting coins for their purposes. Sorting efficiency is a geeky side project for those that like maths and/or coding. Sort method obviously depends on the goal! This one is to count each date and mint mark combination.

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Efficiently sorting a lot of coins
Of course there is no one single way to sort a lot of coins, and believe me, I have tried almost all of them. What I am here to share with you is the best, most efficient way I have ever found to sort a large number of coins.

Most people would automatically assume that sorting them first by decade, then by year, then by mint would be the easiest way to do it - basically a left-to-right sort, in the same order you read the date. Well, I found just the opposite to be true.
What you need

• Ten containers, each roughly two-cups to a quart in size, preferrably with screw on lids for temporary storage (in case you don't sort all your coins in one sitting). What works best for this is large peanut butter jars, coffee containers, or tupperware-style containers.
• Ten zipper bags, one quart size.
• A marker to write on your containers/bags - sharpie type permanent marker works best. If you don't want to write on the containers, use tape. Write on the tape and stick the tape to the containers.

How to sort
Mark each of your containers with each digit from zero through nine. Set the containers out so that you start with zero, and line them up five across to the right until you set out the cup marked 4. Start a new row closer to you with container 5 on the left (just near you from the zero container), and set them up across to the right until you reach the last cup, marked 9.

Lay some coins out in front of you and start placing the coins in the containers using ONLY the last digit of the date. For instance, all coins from 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, and 2000 go into the zero container.

Mark your bags from zero through nine, and place the coins into the bags as the containers become full. When you are finished sorting, dump all the containers into the bags.

Once you are finished with this process, each of your bags should be full of coins with last digits from zero through nine, and your containers should be empty. Use the containers for decades (you will probably only need the 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0 containers for this step) and resort your first bag (zero) back into the containers by decade. Once you're finished with this step, each container should contain only one date. Sort each container by mint (and date size if applicable), and you're finished with that digit. Only nine to go!

How is this method more efficient than others?
It's simple, actually. If you sort the decades first, you would be sorting into at least five different containers, then you would need ten more to sort each date from the decades. In effect you would be sorting your largest group (the ones digit, containing ten possibilities) at least four more times than necessary. Sorting that largest group once cuts down the number of possibilities to sort the next time, effectively cutting down the repetitive sorting by at least half.

It's more difficult to explain why this is more efficient than it is to simply demonstrate it, and since I cannot easily do that, you would need to take my word that it is easier, faster, and far more efficient.

 

Hey CC - I tried going to that site, the cent project, but it is an expired domain. You must have some of their forms saved; were they just trying to get a census on what people had saved over the years? Seems odd to just want to know how many of each year/mint people had.

 

I'm intrigued, but based on my dusty memories from computing classes, I'm not convinced. Seems like you're still handling each coin exactly twice, once to sort by decade and once to sort by final-year-digit.

 

Thanks! I appreciate that. I do miss kicking back and relaxing while I hunt, but I like the YT community a lot and I feel like more of an active participant while posting the videos. I wouldn't have started if I found this forum first though. I'm here, YT, and Discord trying to soak up all the info, probably need to go back to chillaxing a bit more though. This might sound crazy, but I used to CRH on my bed a lot! On nights I was to tired to sot at the table. Just would throw a towel down and use the loop. Sounds lazy, but I work 50-60 hours per week and have 2 children. Some nights, that's the best I can do. I feel you about retirement... I can't wait!

 

I think he was basing his decision on the fact that there were only a handful of decades, instead of 0 thru 9. I actually haven't thought too much about it, but his specific goal of sorting Lincoln cents, primarily 99.99% from the '50s thru '90s, may have made his method more efficient.

 

Like I said...google it...

https://www.facebook.com/groups/537254803879873/

https://www.coinagemag.com/the-cent-project-2020-how-many-pennies-are-really-out-there/

 

My process is about the same as everyone else, except I seem to have a happier microscope.

 

And why wouldn't it be? It's surrounded by friends!