Hand sorting

[wheeler_dealer]

Just curious if anyone is still roll searching for copper cents? If so what types of percentages are you finding? Any wheat cent still being found?

[Morsecode]

I handsorted two boxes back around Christmas. A teller who holds onto goodies for me asked if I wanted them and I didn't really, but I felt like it would disappoint her if I didn't.

Still getting 25-28% cu, same as in 2011 when I sorted in earnest. There were some wheats but all 40's and 50s; I turned the whole lot back into another branch's coin counter a few days later. No longer saving copper.

[Rosco]

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[KeepStacking]

I pick up a few bucks of rolls here and there as time allows. Seem to be hitting around 26% copper yields (used to be over 30% when I was doing this by the boxes a few years ago). The wheat percentage seems to be about the same, but there is a noticeable lack of Canadian cents.

[bookshelf]

I handsort about a box a week. Copper yield is 16-17%. Wheat penny average is about 5-10 per box.

[hcplanner]

I have hand sorted approximately $1500 last year and beginning of this year. Consistent 22-25% copper here in western wisconsin. Can guarantee 25% total by the time I take the wheats, Canadian's, 2009's, 1982s, and anything spectacularly new or worthwhile.

[outofsort]

We are hand sorting a box or two a week. Copper % starting to fall from the 28% level we were seeing the last couple years. Wheat cents are at about 5-9 per box with an average of almost 1 per box being pre-1940.

[coppernickel]

My goal right now is two boxes a week. My pick up and drop banks are handling that without grumble currently. Percentages are 5-7%. Get lots of brand new boxes, those just get dumped.

[hcplanner]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I wish I could find a box of uncirculated pennies in my area. I'd just like to buy a box a year for collection purposes. The only uncirculated pennies I find in my area are from a large convenience store chain that is very popular in my area. They get their change delivered from an armored car company. So when I see they have new, uncirculated ATB quarters or dimes, I buy a few rolls. They often have uncirculated pennies and nickels and I buy a few rolls at a time. I'd rather buy a whole box one time per year.

Ok, now back to handsorting!

[Recyclersteve]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but I wish I could find a box of uncirculated pennies in my area. I'd just like to buy a box a year for collection purposes. The only uncirculated pennies I find in my area are from a large convenience store chain that is very popular in my area. They get their change delivered from an armored car company. So when I see they have new, uncirculated ATB quarters or dimes, I buy a few rolls. They often have uncirculated pennies and nickels and I buy a few rolls at a time. I'd rather buy a whole box one time per year.

Ok, now back to handsorting!

I hope you are planning on holding onto the Uncs. for a long time, perhaps even decades. If zinc doesn't spike in value, it is hard to imagine these having much collector value. Now if zinc were to become some important strategic metal for our national defense, then everything could change.

[centsible]

I am a new fan of all PM's, including copper. SInce I started penny roll hunting a few months ago I have done around 35 $25 boxes and I am getting around 2-3 lbs of copper per box, and around 7 wheats per box. Have yet to find ANY error coins, but I did find and save 3 1943 steels and one blank copper planchet, amongst other things.

[johnbrickner]

Hey Wheeler:

Just put a few hundred thru the sorter and came out with a solid 20% after taking out ugly Abes, Canadian Cu and otherwise, and wheats. That's how it looks from your neighbor in the 'Cuse.

[Catfish4u]

Hey Wheeler:

Just put a few hundred thru the sorter and came out with a solid 20% after taking out ugly Abes, Canadian Cu and otherwise, and wheats. That's how it looks from your neighbor in the 'Cuse.

Why exclude 'ugly Abes, Canadian Cu and otherwise, and wheats'? Are those not desired copper? What do you do with those?

[marine70]

I hand sort an average of 6 to 8 boxes a week my averages are all over the place. I have been retired for 10 years this month and I just enjoy sorting. When I sell the pennies which I do at a reasonable price. The profit I receive is better than the interest I receive on my savings accounts.

[J_Dodge]

For 2014 I went thru 17 boxes, ranging from a low of 25% to a high of 35% copper. Canadians usually out number the wheats by about 1/3.

The box I am working on now will be much lower - so far (28 rolls in to it), I've got 9 zeros, w/ the rolls that do show copper being 6-10 cents. Might have hit a portion of someone's dump, will need to go thru additional boxes to see if there is a trend.

I go thru my pocket change everyday, and there is a noticeable increase in the number of zincs I am getting.

JD

[johnbrickner]

Hey Wheeler:

Just put a few hundred thru the sorter and came out with a solid 20% after taking out ugly Abes, Canadian Cu and otherwise, and wheats. That's how it looks from your neighbor in the 'Cuse.

Why exclude 'ugly Abes, Canadian Cu and otherwise, and wheats'? Are those not desired copper? What do you do with those?

Wheeler is down the road a bit west of me and was sorting and selling Cu cents long before I was aware. He is looking for a % number for copper, I gave it to him. Here close to the CA border we get more CA Cu than wheats and having met and dealt with the dealer, I'm willing to bet he is more than aware of this. Both of these get separated into their own storage. The ugly go into a bucket. All added up the additional is less than 5% and not what you'd put into a CTU.

Hope the above answers your questions and provides for your edification.

[wheeler_dealer]

Thanks John. Ugly Abe's contaminate the pile. Buyers don't want them. Back to the bank. I'm an hour from Canada. Here in NY cross border travel is common. I find 50 to 100 Canadian per box (even some good ones.) I haven't bought any boxes/rolls to sort in a while. I have a pile I'm working through. Wheaties are steady about 7 to 10 a box. Found a 1909 plain last week and an Indian the other night.

[narragansett]

I hand sort all the time. I do 2-6 boxes a week. The average is 25% copper. The boxes vary. The wheats vary. My last box that I did yesterday had 145 wheats.