Realcent.org

From reading some of the posts, especially the tracking threads, it seems like many of you sort out and separate the 1982 copper cents. Is there any valid reason to do so? If they are the same copper content as the the 1959-1981 cents, then what's the purpose of keeping them separated? I'm not blasting anyone who does this, just trying to get an understanding. Thanks in advance.

Some of the 82's are 3.1 grams (copper) and others are 2.6 grams (zinc).

Recyclersteve wrote:Some of the 82's are 3.1 grams (copper) and others are 2.6 grams (zinc).

I am fully aware of that. What I am asking about is the copper versions, not the zinc versions. Wondering why some separate those from the 1959-1981 copper cents.

There are 7 verities of the 1982 penny, 8 if you count the proof. I've seen offers selling the 7 for a nice premium in the past. Not sure recently though. The Zn share the mintage with the Cu and they do not last as long. Since they were the first Zn minted there should be less of them than any other I suppose giving another possible reason for saving. But, for just the Cu alone? No idea.

KeepStacking wrote:From reading some of the posts, especially the tracking threads, it seems like many of you sort out and separate the 1982 copper cents. Is there any valid reason to do so? If they are the same copper content as the the 1959-1981 cents, then what's the purpose of keeping them separated? I'm not blasting anyone who does this, just trying to get an understanding. Thanks in advance.

KeepStacking wrote:

Recyclersteve wrote:Some of the 82's are 3.1 grams (copper) and others are 2.6 grams (zinc).

I am fully aware of that. What I am asking about is the copper versions, not the zinc versions. Wondering why some separate those from the 1959-1981 copper cents.

Basically it adds some peace of mind for the buyer that what they are buying in fact the copper version and not the zinc.
I myself don't do it. I know that many do. I just don't need another search category, another box, or ammo can to store another variety in.

When it comes time to sell I don't think it will make much of a difference. If it turns out that its an important facture in price then I can resort at that time.

Any thoughts from buyers and sellers?

thedrifter wrote:

KeepStacking wrote:From reading some of the posts, especially the tracking threads, it seems like many of you sort out and separate the 1982 copper cents. Is there any valid reason to do so? If they are the same copper content as the the 1959-1981 cents, then what's the purpose of keeping them separated? I'm not blasting anyone who does this, just trying to get an understanding. Thanks in advance.

KeepStacking wrote:

Recyclersteve wrote:Some of the 82's are 3.1 grams (copper) and others are 2.6 grams (zinc).

I am fully aware of that. What I am asking about is the copper versions, not the zinc versions. Wondering why some separate those from the 1959-1981 copper cents.

Basically it adds some peace of mind for the buyer that what they are buying in fact the copper version and not the zinc.
I myself don't do it. I know that many do. I just don't need another search category, another box, or ammo can to store another variety in.

When it comes time to sell I don't think it will make much of a difference. If it turns out that its an important facture in price then I can resort at that time.

Any thoughts from buyers and sellers?

Thanks for the reply. I am with you that I don't need another search option, another storage option and if it's copper like the 1981 and earlier, then what's the difference? I end up hand weighing ALL 1982's, but then the copper ones are tossed in with the 1959-1981's. It's such a small percentage that it wouldn't be worth my time to go back and resort. For those that use automated sorters, do you go back and go through the ones that fall into the copper pile?

KeepStacking wrote:For those that use automated sorters, do you go back and go through the ones that fall into the copper pile?

I'm not an machine-sorter, but I can't imagine why anyone who is one would go back through the copper pile specifically to pluck out the 1982 cents. I mean, the whole idea behind obtaining the machine in the first place is so it will automatically sort the copper from the zinc for you, within a very small margin of error. The machine doesn't know if it's from 1970 or 1975 or 1982 or whatever. The 1982 cents that end up in the copper shoot are thus guaranteed to be copper, just as any other copper cent is, and the zinc ones will fall from the zinc shoot.

For me, as an occasional handsorter, I do not allow copper 1982s to slip through my grasp just because of their year. For me, it's very easy to tell if a 1982 cent is copper, because you can simply drop it on a hard surface and if it rings, then you know you have a copper cent. If it gives a brief thunk, then you can throw it out knowing that it's zinc.

Romalae wrote:

KeepStacking wrote:For those that use automated sorters, do you go back and go through the ones that fall into the copper pile?

I'm not an machine-sorter, but I can't imagine why anyone who is one would go back through the copper pile specifically to pluck out the 1982 cents. I mean, the whole idea behind obtaining the machine in the first place is so it will automatically sort the copper from the zinc for you, within a very small margin of error. The machine doesn't know if it's from 1970 or 1975 or 1982 or whatever. The 1982 cents that end up in the copper shoot are thus guaranteed to be copper, just as any other copper cent is, and the zinc ones will fall from the zinc shoot.

For me, as an occasional handsorter, I do not allow copper 1982s to slip through my grasp just because of their year. For me, it's very easy to tell if a 1982 cent is copper, because you can simply drop it on a hard surface and if it rings, then you know you have a copper cent. If it gives a brief thunk, then you can throw it out knowing that it's zinc.

Thanks for your input. I agree with everything you said. My meager 95% stash has 1982's in it, and at this point I have no plans to separate them or even track them separately for that matter. I will continue to sort/separate as follows:

95% 1959-82 LMC's
Zincs to go back to the bank
Wheats
IHC's
Canadian copper (and then further sorted by George V, George VI, Young Queens, etc)
Foreign

Also it seems that for me about 60-65% of the 1982's are copper. Is that what others are experiencing?

One other thing- there are probably a few people out there who think that ALL 1982's are copper, which is obviously wrong. And many in this group might not want to go back and re-sort their stacks just to pull out zincs from a single year.

KeepStacking wrote:

Romalae wrote:

KeepStacking wrote:For those that use automated sorters, do you go back and go through the ones that fall into the copper pile?

I'm not an machine-sorter, but I can't imagine why anyone who is one would go back through the copper pile specifically to pluck out the 1982 cents. I mean, the whole idea behind obtaining the machine in the first place is so it will automatically sort the copper from the zinc for you, within a very small margin of error. The machine doesn't know if it's from 1970 or 1975 or 1982 or whatever. The 1982 cents that end up in the copper shoot are thus guaranteed to be copper, just as any other copper cent is, and the zinc ones will fall from the zinc shoot.

For me, as an occasional handsorter, I do not allow copper 1982s to slip through my grasp just because of their year. For me, it's very easy to tell if a 1982 cent is copper, because you can simply drop it on a hard surface and if it rings, then you know you have a copper cent. If it gives a brief thunk, then you can throw it out knowing that it's zinc.

Thanks for your input. I agree with everything you said. My meager 95% stash has 1982's in it, and at this point I have no plans to separate them or even track them separately for that matter. I will continue to sort/separate as follows:

95% 1959-82 LMC's
Zincs to go back to the bank
Wheats
IHC's
Canadian copper (and then further sorted by George V, George VI, Young Queens, etc)
Foreign

I would also add steel cents and unusual errors that are easily noticeable to your categories, but most likely you won't find too many of these. I've found far more silver in the wild than steel cents over the past several decades, even though the silver is worth far more. Go figure...

Good call Steve. I have looked for varieties like 1983 DDR, 1984 DDO, 1995 DDO and even the Wide America versions. I guess I haven't tracked them but have looked for them. I also pull things like the cents that have the states engraved on them or other oddities. So far no steel cents, but would definitely create a tracking category if I happened to come across one.

KeepStacking wrote:Good call Steve. I have looked for varieties like 1983 DDR, 1984 DDO, 1995 DDO and even the Wide America versions. I guess I haven't tracked them but have looked for them. I also pull things like the cents that have the states engraved on them or other oddities. So far no steel cents, but would definitely create a tracking category if I happened to come across one.

Right above your thread, in this section is a "sticky" thread....has what cents hand sorters may want to look for.


viewtopic.php?f=7&t=5109

Recyclersteve wrote:One other thing- there are probably a few people out there who think that ALL 1982's are copper, which is obviously wrong. And many in this group might not want to go back and re-sort their stacks just to pull out zincs from a single year.

I would say more than a few. Enough to make any batch of coins containing 82s suspect, no matter who sorted them.

Machine sorters are out of luck on that score. But why hurt the marketability of a hand-sorted batch when it's so easy to exclude them? It's not too difficult to have a separate container for copper 82s.

I actually tried to sell a ctu of copper 82s here a few years ago (when reasonably priced bags were selling at a good pace), at way below typical pricing of the time. No interest. My take away from that was if knowledgeable Realcenters decided they were second class or otherwise undesireable, how would they be perceived in the general market?

In other words, how do convince someone on craigslist 15 years from now that the 1982 Lincolns in your bags are all good? More importantly, all other considerations being equal...if that buyer had to choose between yours and a bag of 1959 - 1981, why would they buy yours? Remember now, your good sorting is going to be lumped in with all the bozos who unknowingly, or knowingly, left in the zincs.

In the end I stopped separating the 82s altogether when I figured out it wasn't worth the extra effort.

You get what?.. 30, 40 or 50 out of a $25 box? Not to make a mole hill out of a mountain but that amounts to only 50lbs of copper per year if you sort 15 boxes a month every month.

About 75% of my 82s are copper in Minnesota. I hand sort and do keep the 82s seperate from the rest.

tt

You got to keep them separated!

I Ryedale sort and don't worry about the 82's.
I have no issues when selling.

When I used to hand sort, I would keep the 82's separate.
You have to separate them to check them anyway.
I could imagine a buyer doubting your ability to accurately determine copper/zinc.

hobo finds wrote:You got to keep them separated!

Sounds like a song.

TheJonasCollegeFund wrote:

hobo finds wrote:You got to keep them separated!

Sounds like a song.

Sorta reminded me of "Money for Nothing" if you pronounce "separated" with the accent on the second A.

Recyclersteve wrote:Also it seems that for me about 60-65% of the 1982's are copper. Is that what others are experiencing?

For me, it's honestly more than that. Closer to 80%. If I recall correctly, the changeover from copper to zinc was in October of that year, so chronologically speaking that would make sense.

Dang Crystal Ball to the future aint working right now...but if an '82 is Cu then it is copper right? But then when I see a '82 from a Cu cent purchase from another then I wonder is it really a Cu cent or Zn cent. I still do not pull those out. I trust my machines to do that work for me and I trust others when I purchase. Will it really matter in the future who knows....if you feel better then remove them or leave them.

Romalae wrote:The machine doesn't know if it's from 1970 or 1975 or 1982 or whatever.

Well it does know if they are '73's and '74's also pre 1944...

KeepStacking wrote:For those that use automated sorters, do you go back and go through the ones that fall into the copper pile?

Nope. But occasional I will go through the Cu pile looking for wheats.

One day, when I grow older (since I never want to grow up), I will but me a sorter.

Until then, I sort them by hand, one by one. I use my glass-top table, and bounce them on the glass. I can easily hear if they are copper (cling) or zincers (clunk)...

fasteddy wrote:

Romalae wrote:The machine doesn't know if it's from 1970 or 1975 or 1982 or whatever.

Well it does know if they are '73's and '74's also pre 1944...

I feel like I'm wearing orthopedic shoes because I stand corrected.

When I sort a box of pennies I do it by hand. The 82's go into a separate pile which I go through at the end with the help of a scale to weigh each one to separate the copper from the zinc. I have been recording the results of the copper/zinc counts in my stats just to see the trend (it's usually more zinc than copper with the 82's for me BTW). The copper ones get rolled up with rest of the copper and the zinc ones get dumped with the rest of the zinc. I don't keep them separated. I just record the count in my stats. When I post my info in the tracking threads it may seem like I'm giving some special preference to the copper 82's but I'm not. To me they are just like the rest of the copper memorial cents and get mixed in with them.

I hand sort so I keep my U.S. 1982s in a separate (very small) jar. I still haven't
put them on the scale to separate the copper from the zinc but there is so few of
them it's not really a pressing issue.

TheJonasCollegeFund wrote:

hobo finds wrote:You got to keep them separated!

Sounds like a song.

I instantly thought of the tune for "Treat her like a lady"

Keep them sep
Got to, Got to keep them sep
You've got to keep them separaaaated

I machine sort, but used to hand sort for a while. I have some separated, but don't worry about it now that I machine sort, unless one just appears in my change and it's easy to pull out.

That said:
Keep them separated. They're like wire hangers in your closet. They breed at night in the dark!