Realcent.org

If you were going to invest in copper cents and you had a choice of either for the same cost which would you rather have?
For the purpose of this question both lots would have equal exchange rates and the melt ban is lifted.I know the weights would be different but don't let that be your sole reason for choosing one or the other. I don't want to split hairs on the minor differences just curious about desirability. And how much composition is a factor to consider.

I would prefer Canadian cents as I am Canadian..

I went with Canadian, as the Canuck government seems less prone to making nefarious changes to their law that screw all the citizens.

I chose Canadian because at over .0316 cents melt value 100 face is worth more than 100 us face at .0299 each.

But the Canadian penny is hideous looking, in my jaded opinion...

Looks like a miniature Susan B Anthony!

The maple leafs on the reverse are ok though.

No Offense to my northern neighbors or Elizabeth intended.

This cat just saw one of your pennies:

The results of this poll so far are casting a new shine on my penny hoard (which is 99+% Canadian, obviously)

I will stick with Abe.

Since I live in the US, I voted for Mr Lincoln. I don't know what the copper circulation % is in Canada vs. US. Since the poll did not say copper, then I would have a harder time getting rid of non-copper Canadian. I would prefer Copper Canadian pennies over US pennies due to the higher copper content in Canada pennies.

i voted for Canadian, because I would not get in as much trouble for melting them in the US...

Even though I live in the States, even if I were to call Up North home, I'd rather have the Lincoln penny. They might not all be as heavy, but they all are the same weight and composition; something I feel, down the line, will make selling much easier and much more convenient.

Corsair wrote:Even though I live in the States, even if I were to call Up North home, I'd rather have the Lincoln penny. They might not all be as heavy, but they all are the same weight and composition; something I feel, down the line, will make selling much easier and much more convenient.

good call....abe gets my vote on that note.

I vote the third option... neither. I don't want $100 face of either coin, I want a few thousand $$$ face, so I keep sorting.

Now, if we are talking a few thousand face, I will take Canadian for 2 reasons. First, if there were a major deflation, I have a few thousand dollars sitting around waiting to be cashed in (and it is legal tender for me to pay my bills or buy things with.) Were I in the US, for this reason alone, I would prefer Abes.

Also, I like the purity of the Canadian. I know that having one standard weight will make it easier to buy and sell, but I would assume that we will be selling by the pound rather than by the value at some point.

U.S coppers being all the same weight and composition is a good point. That is IMO the biggest drawback of the Canadian cent.
I just sorted out some Can. cents by year/comp 53-77,78-79,80-81,and1982-96. The older ones have been over3x face for awhile now,but the newer ones still have a bit to go. The 3% difference in copper may one day play a bigger role but for now isn't a factor. There is maybe more safety in Canadian currency if the U.S.dollar takes a big hit. Short term if the Canadian cent is killed you might have a scramble to horde them before the majority is removed by the banking system.
Very interesting to hear different opinions on the topic

Diggin4copper wrote:i voted for Canadian, because I would not get in as much trouble for melting them in the US...

So... here's a question I haven't heard addressed before. Is it legal to turn Lincoln cents in to a Canadian smelter for sale to melt, conversely... is it legal to sell Canadian cents for melting to US smelters?

PennyPauper wrote:U.S coppers being all the same weight and composition is a good point. That is IMO the biggest drawback of the Canadian cent.
I just sorted out some Can. cents by year/comp 53-77,78-79,80-81,and1982-96. The older ones have been over3x face for awhile now,but the newer ones still have a bit to go. The 3% difference in copper may one day play a bigger role but for now isn't a factor. There is maybe more safety in Canadian currency if the U.S.dollar takes a big hit. Short term if the Canadian cent is killed you might have a scramble to horde them before the majority is removed by the banking system.
Very interesting to hear different opinions on the topic

Why doesn't the Canadian govt just stop minting cents and use Lincoln's that drift north. Surely there would be enough, and they should be interchangeable in value.

beauanderos wrote:

Diggin4copper wrote:i voted for Canadian, because I would not get in as much trouble for melting them in the US...

So... here's a question I haven't heard addressed before. Is it legal to turn Lincoln cents in to a Canadian smelter for sale to melt, conversely... is it legal to sell Canadian cents for melting to US smelters?

two questions....toe answers.....from what I have gathered.

No, as long as you are in canada

No, as long as you are in the US

You just can't ship them across borders in quanity to make it profitable.

What is the limit that can be shipped across the border? isn't it $10

Canadians can export <$10K at a time without a hassel. But from what I've read, Americans cannot export domestic coin in any quantity exceeding something tiny (like $100 or something) unless for documented numismatic reasons.

When I looked it up a year ago it was coinage over $5.00 that cannot be exported out of the States. It is crazy small. Im sure I broke the law many times by accident.

If I am to choose between 95% pure or 98% pure I will take 98% pure any day! Plus the '65s through '79's are a beautiful design as well. Oh Canada