Well, I'm back in my home state to do my last clinical rotation in a local hospital. I'm currently staying at my parents' home. Now, since I'm on a three week Christmas break I'm spending time at home, viewing the likes of Judge Mathis and the Price is Right. Then, I saw it. There, in the corner of the dining room is a 5 gallon blue water jug (the sort you see in corporate offices). This jug is half filled with cents. 2.5 gallons of cents! Evidently my parents have been dumping their cents into the jug for the last three years I've been away to graduate school. So, a thought scurried across my mind today, "I wonder what the population and grade variance is within that jug?" I remember becoming interested in coins by shifting through rolls upon rolls of cents on weekends with Grandpa. Eventually, I became sick of the things and switched to dimes. However, I am mildly tempted to dump that jug and start to sort them, count them, tabulate into a table, smell my hands of copper/zinc. I know it'll take several days and there is a risk of that, "God, I hope I never touch a cent again!" thought but I'm still tempted. So, I know this answer will be biased since I'm posting it on a coin forum, but what are your thoughts? Dig in or let the multitude of Lincolns lie in that jug?
To attempt a grade to all of them, no probably not. To catalogue them based on date and mint mark, surely if I can find another person to help me dump the jug.
Since I was curious: Volume of one Lincoln Cent=.360 cubic centemeters Volume of interest: assume 2.50 gallons Number of cubic centemeters in one gallon: 3785.4 Number of cents in one gallon: 10,515 Number of cents in 2.5 gallon: 26,288 Good guess, Chris!
I've got two $50 bags just sitting in a corner. I know how heavy those puppies are, and for that reason, the size will always "weigh" on my mind. Even so, I was still $37.12 off. Chris
How about a contest to go along with the mountain of labor you have ahead of you going through these? maybe guess the total number of wheats or pre '82 LMCs, sort of thing, how many Canadians crossed the border and entered the jug... correct or closest guess wins something you find in there... a few wheats or something like that???
