Penny-Nickel Price check
 

With coinflation on vacation here's an update on these prices

1 Nickel= 5.131 cents (1/4 nickel, 3/4 copper)
1 Pre '82 Penny= 2.178 cents (copper)

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

Somebody pulling pennies out of change might want to consider pulling out the 1982 cents as well. My grand kids sorted through a bunch of pennies early this morning. They pulled out 53 1982 cents to weigh. Of the 53, all but 4 were 95% copper.

I haven't heard anyone say but I suspect that the 1982 changeover from 95% Cu to 95% Zi occurred late in the year.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

I think that most '82s are copper and I have all of them in a separate holder. I've got a buddy with scales capable of measuring the difference and after I collect a bunch I'll take them over to him to see which are copper and which are zinc.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

So far I have not been saving the 1982's at all. I may start, but will keep them in a separate jar.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

C&Julie,

There's no need to weigh them-just do a bounce test! Copper rings much differently than the zinc does.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

Haven't been able to tell the difference myself- what should I drop them on?

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

I agree, I've found very, very few zincs from that year so far.

I guess this means they'll probably be making pennies and nickles out of aluminum next year. Grab 'em fast folks.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

What will that do to the price of nickel and copper? Nickels are 25/75 nickel/copper. How much do the feds use to make nickels each year- could have a pretty profound impact on price. Over a few years, though, I see nickels and old pennies going to several times face.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

The 1982 penny has two fonts. "1982" copper looks like the previous years font. Zinc font looks like 83 and newer. The zinc numerical font is a little thinner and not raised as much as the copper coin font. Zinc must be harder/copper more pliable. You can see how they fill the die differently. The color looks different to me as well. Just be observant. Once you know what to look for it becomes obvious.

Prag

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

I just use my wooden desktop. The coppers "ring", even if you drop them on edge. The zinc almost never do, and if they do, it's muted and dull. it's actually easier to hear in the pennies than in silver vs clad.

Interesting how the zinc is those pennies is worth almost one cent, huh? I doubt they'd go to aluminum, given the way the Chinese are buying it up. Maybe steel again?

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

One million pennies (its size).

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

The size of all the pennies in circulation.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

I was thinking very long term. Just sitting on them and waiting. If you get them now it's not a very big investment. Later copper may go through the roof for some reason, who knows. I wish I would have known about the future of "junk silver" when I was a kid. I'd be stinking rich now.

Steel would be my guess as to the next metal, provided they bother to make pennies that much longer.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

Plastic will be the next material for the penny, if they do not simply do away with it IMO.

Bloomberg Radio had a commodities broker on Friday and he brought up aluminium as being undervalued and another upcoming bull in metals within a year or two.

Prag

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

One can only imagine how much profit could be gained by having the foresight, say 20 years ago, to start collecting 90% silver coins. At that time I'll bet close to 50% in circulation were '64 or earlier. It's scary to think how much "free" money I'd be sitting on- if you disregard the time employed to sort the coins.

I am hoping that our current efforts at saving copper pennies will be similarly rewarded in 20 years- maybe sooner! And BTW I think I'm going to start hoarding all of my nickles as well. They are already worth their face value, and I'm very bullish on increasing prices for copper and nickle.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

CB&Julie,

Does the price you quoted on nickles include the cost of the Ni? If it does, then an increase in the percentage of Cu in the coin will lower the cost again.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

No: By 1975 the percentage of 90% in general circulation was roughly zero. This much I remember from my earliest consciousness of such things. I would be surprised if by 1968 more than 5% of the circulation was 90%, but I'll have to leave that question to the older GIMmers.

I think people are right to sort out the older pennies and keep the nickels (notice the spelling: NICKELS, not nickles), and I think it's probably worth your while to save the post-1981 zinc pennies as well.

But I'm puzzled as to why anyone is actively buying nickels, since you can take that same money and buy Au, Ag, Pt, or Pd, all of which likely will have better appreciation curves than copper or nickel over the next few years. Investment is about maximizing long-term return, yes?

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

The answer to your question for me is that with buying nickels all the money is guaranteed to always be worth its face value. In a deflation or depression one may need cash that is not locked in banks.

I can buy as much or as little as I wish at any given time right here in my home town. And Copper and nickel has a good track record during recent years.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

Below are 5 year charts for each.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

Sweeeeeet...I'm makin out like a bandit in the 'nickles' dept.

Last week i got a perfect buffalo nickel in my change and today i got a 1942 silver nickel from the delicatessen.
The silver nickel is awsome, it feels just like a 90% coin when you rub it between your fingers.

I dont know anyone that cares so i figured i'd tell yous guys....

BTW, the coinflation site has been updated, i guess whats his name, made it to alaska safely.

Last but not least, I'm goin to shell out the $100 and pickup the box of nickels at the bank. It's not like i'm spending 100, im just converting it to another form of us currency ? Make that $125 w/the box of pennies.

Re: Penny-Nickel Price check
 

Hey, you are not monkeying around with this.