When is enough enough?

[robroy]

I have been roll searching for a few years now and have begun to wonder at what point are people saying enough is enough and stop looking for copper.

I am not reselling (yet), and currently am not thinking about stopping searching. But I do wonder at what point would you stop looking for copper. I'm looking for a face dollar amount that people think is enough to store. I currently have over $600 plus a few folders and albums and am beginning to wonder if I have an obsession.

[John_doe]

I have been roll searching for a few years now and have begun to wonder at what point are people saying enough is enough and stop looking for copper.

I am not reselling (yet), and currently am not thinking about stopping searching. But I do wonder at what point would you stop looking for copper. I'm looking for a face dollar amount that people think is enough to store. I currently have over $600 plus a few folders and albums and am beginning to wonder if I have an obsession.

you are on realcent, I think you have an obsession.

[NHsorter]

I don't know how much is enough, but I do know that $600 is not enough. And if I am wrong, and $600 is enough, then I have a big problem

[Rodebaugh]

I have been roll searching for a few years now and have begun to wonder at what point are people saying enough is enough and stop looking for copper.

I am not reselling (yet), and currently am not thinking about stopping searching. But I do wonder at what point would you stop looking for copper. I'm looking for a face dollar amount that people think is enough to store. I currently have over $600 plus a few folders and albums and am beginning to wonder if I have an obsession.

When it becomes a chore.
When storage becomes an issue.
When the fish are biting.

[RichardPenny43]

At first my goal was one ton. When I reached that I decided to sell because I needed some cash and wanted to keep sorting. Now I sell most of what I sort but maintain a core hoard. I plan on doing this as long as possible because I'm addicted to sorting and my hoard is free!

[Morsecode]

At first my goal was one ton. When I reached that I decided to sell because I needed some cash and wanted to keep sorting. Now I sell most of what I sort but maintain a core hoard. I plan on doing this as long as possible because I'm addicted to sorting and my hoard is free!

This is a pretty good template to go by. If you start to think that $600 is getting close to enough you can always branch out to nickels for a while.

[Dave]

I have had the same thoughts recently, so I went to the bank and got $100 of cwr's. I will say that $600 is not enough.

[silverflake]

Every time I get a little tired of penny sorting, I take a month or so off. Calm down a little, let my eyes re-adjust. Then the fever just comes back. And I sort and stack.

My tag line is always "keep stacking" but it's more than just a tag line. It is a command. Follow it. Now.

Keep stacking!

[blackrabbit]

You have an obsession, but when commodities run up again you will have a wise investment.

[Cu Penny Hoarder]

I stopped last year. Averaging less than 10-15% Cu's per box is not worth my time, effort and gas money.

I still save all the Cu pennies I get in my change.

[Cent1225]

I started sorting to build up a hoard. Then I sold some to pay for the hoard. Then I used that money to build a bigger hoard. Then I sold some more to buy some more to build up a bigger hoard. Now, I sort in the fall, winter and spring to build up the hoard. In the summer when I have to mow and take care of the garden, I take time off. Now that the days are getting a little shorter, I have that itch to start sorting and hoarding again. I imagine if someone offers me the right price, I will again sell some of the hoard so I can build up a bigger hoard. I dont see this vicious cycle ending until the government stops minting pennies and allows me to sell some or all of the hoard at rediculous prices at which time I will probably retire and sell my ryedales.

[Zincanator]

When I started my goal was (don't laugh too hard) one $25 box of rolled coppers. Many boxes later, I'm still at it, just not so furiously as before. Like others have said, it's an itch you can never fully scratch once you've been introduced.

I have slowed way down mainly for one reason -- anymore my banks give me attitude (or outright deny my request) when I ask for more than a couple rolls of pennies. It can be quite an undertaking to gather enough rolls to last a casual evening of sorting. I totally envy you guys who walk out with massive bags of pennies no problem. I'd feed my humble handmade sorter for a few hours every night if I were able to find such a source. It therapeutic to me, I really enjoy it. Also for whatever reason I have been getting a lot of rolls of 2014 shields lately, which is a real downer when you crack open that hard-earned sealed box too.

[marine70]

I have been sorting for so long since my retirement. I enjoy looking through the jungle every since I found a 1909 S vdb its like a quest. I also have been finding wheats that are still in the wild. So as long as I can carry the pennies I guess I will continue to search. Happy hunting

[NotABigDeal]

My issue is with time. I have none. I have a big enough pile of copper I'll have to deal with when we find a house as it is. I don't need to add to it.

We'll see what the future holds. If we find a house in a smaller town, I might have to at least hit the banks to test out the new waters....

Deal

[Gobirds66]

I guess there are a few indicators that will tell me when enough is enough....
1.) When there is no more copper left to find in the wild. Then what I have will be enough.
2.) When banks will no longer source my pennies at face value, then I will have enough.
3.) When the wife kills me because she can no longer weave her way through the maze of what I call a hoard in the basement. Then I will have enough.
4.) I just peel off the face of the earth due to my obsession. Then I will have had enough.

The reality is that by the time I get to #4, the other 3 will most likely have happened, and I am going with #3 as the most likely scenario to stop my hoarding since i am still finding Wheats over 100 years old and my copper percentages have not really dropped too much over the years.

[mtalbot_ca]

There is a one....that should happen before all the others on your list.....when the government stops minting pennies....

[Diggin4copper]

There is a one....that should happen before all the others on your list.....when the government stops minting pennies....

That will be a busy few weeks around here...

[Copper Catcher]

When HighRoller retires I will be able to tell you the exact amount!

[John_doe]

sort now or pay a premium when it is too late.

[DaMangRon]

Also for whatever reason I have been getting a lot of rolls of 2014 shields lately, which is a real downer when you crack open that hard-earned sealed box too.

Are those 2014 boxes all that bad? I have 2 of them selling on ebay...Bidding is up to $71 plus I make $4 on the shipping that's a $17 profit after the fees if there are no more bids...just for driving from the bank to the PO! Not too bad for 2 bricks of zinc...lol


http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.vi ... 27&alt=web

[Morsecode]

Wow...it's unusual for the bank boxes to get much of a premium if any so late in the year.

Good luck with the auction

[fansubs_ca]

When I started my goal was (don't laugh too hard) one $25 box of rolled coppers.

I had that (in 1981 and previous pennies) I was pulling out of my change by the mid-90s.
I had about $30 in the bag when I moved into my house, they've been sitting in the closet
below my stairs since I moved in. I didn't go to the bank for rolls back then. I did get
rolls in my teenage years (late 80s) but then I was looking for U.S. pennies for the
exchange value difference, not copper.

As for why only 1981 and before? I knew one day copper would go high enough to make
them worth more and the "full weight" ones would hit that level first. Also all Canadian
pennies were copper back then. ^_-

I kinda didn't think much about it until the late 2000s when I started intentionally sorting.
I actually haven't sorted in quite a while but I keep picking up pennies whenever my credit
union gets them in figuring I can sort them later when I get a chance. The last 3 weeks
they got some in each week so it looks like some people are cashing in their penny jars
again. (There were a few months where nobody brought in any.)

I don't have a specific target but I imagine I'll eventually have to stop increasing my
hoard for space/weight reasons and unless the re-sale market develops a bit better
that would mean the end of sorting.

[willy13]

I am currently at $2500 face copper, hand sorted.

I do not sell, I am hoarding in the event that there is a fiat currency collapse.

I will keeping hoarding until I can't afford to have money tied up in copper.

[John_doe]

I am currently at $2500 face copper, hand sorted.

I do not sell, I am hoarding in the event that there is a fiat currency collapse.

I will keeping hoarding until I can't afford to have money tied up in copper.

that is a heck of a lot of hand sorting.

[willy13]

I am currently at $2500 face copper, hand sorted.

I do not sell, I am hoarding in the event that there is a fiat currency collapse.

I will keeping hoarding until I can't afford to have money tied up in copper.

that is a heck of a lot of hand sorting.

Thanks! For a good year I sorted like it was my job to get that initial hoard. Now that I have a decent hoard I sort at a more reasonable pace. I find it relaxing, so I probably will always sort no matter how big my hoard is. Well as long as I can get pennies.