Realcent.org

Today I went to SEVERAL banks to pick up some boxes of pennies. I hit two different medium sized cities and got most of what I wanted during my pickups. I hit about 12 banks, 9 of which had 2 - $25 cases of pennies to spare. One only gave me $30 and the other two gave me $10 and $15 respectively. (This was also my way of scouting out new dump locations ). During my pickups at the locations I went to, two tellers mentioned that they have been running out of pennies more often. I asked one teller specifically and she mentioned for the past three days she's seen more people requesting boxes of pennies but she wouldn't go into detail how many she's giving out.

I'm beginning to wonder if we, as normal people, are running out of sort time before the general public catches on. These stories airing on TV lately seem to be catching the attention of those who want to get in the game, which is fine. Then I read about these super-sorters coming on line as well, which also freaks all of us out. How much time, do we as normal, everyday penny sorters have left before game over?

I withdrew all of my savings today in pennies just so I could have somewhat of an advantage if we seem to be losing sorting time.


njoElectric

Well I'm one of those people that saw one of the news stories on tv and just recently started sorting. I bought my first box today at the bank where I normally go. The teller gave me the box without any questions asked so it seems at least for me there's no "shortages" as of yet. However, as you mentioned about these hardcore pro sorters kinda freaks me out even though I just started.

Well, were you scouting out new pickup locations? My main pickup location knows I hoard copper, but I only order two boxes a week from them, they give me loomis, and they suck, but not always! Sometimes they are the best, I wish I could order like 10 boxes when I get one like that. My first loomis box back sorting one week ago now had 23 wheaties. My new suburbia bank is really panning out for me, two more boxes of almost all 30% which brings my weekly sorting up to $100 a week. Follow the outlying banks, they get allot of old stash's brought in, if you can find one that does their own, and can get to the main branch easy enough. I'm afraid if I join an inner city bank I'll start running into zinc's. My Dad is sending me a bunch of San Francisco wheats. Teller told me today when pennies get scarce you'll see more things for sale at .98 or .99 with whatever added to the front of that, etc. to limit giving them out I guess was the concept?

My friend works at a bank and i get my boxes of coin from her. She says I'm the only weirdo that asks for boxes of pennies and nickels.

I actually re started my 250 a week from my 1 branch and might tell another one to do $250 as well. Sadly I think even though its happened before with the zinc boxes I think the end is near.

Njo...you were nice enough to respond to my post, so now I'm going to respond to yours. I do think that time is indeed running out on copper pennies. I'm talking to many people ...from cashiers at WaWa (like a 7-Eleven). pizza places and Shop-Rite. They all say the same thing. During their slow time they check the register for copper pennies to make a quick exchange with zincolns they have stacked in their pockets. They used to unload their pockets and fill them with copper. Now they go home with pants full of zincolns. For my money, I think it's these super sorters to blame. I may be stocking up on nickels instead.

omega - what part of the country are you from?
i'm in the eastern panhandle of WV and i'm starting to see the decline in copper cents. i also pick up pennies from branches in neighboring cities sometimes just so I don't have to wait long while I'm waiting on a delivery for pennies at a local branch. I sure wish I had worked retail while I was in college..

People are waking up and it's only a matter of time. I wonder if the US will adopt an "Alloy Recovery Program" like Canada.


njoElectric

NJO.....I'm from Ocean County New Jersey, 30 miles north of Atlantic City. I know your area of WV well, having driving through Morgantown last Fall, then to Huntington to see Marshall U, on a family trip to Nashville, which took us through WV and Kentucky. Pretty country. Now if our areas are so different, rural and open versus congested and populated, and we both are experiencing major depletion in copper penny counts, what does that suggest? Saw in my post that you got skunked on like 6 boxes. I'm afraid that this is going to be common in 2012. Hard to believe some of still seeing 30%

I think the uptick in activity is oin to be short lived. Once some of the people find out that it is work, they will stop. Yes, the net net will be a few more sorters, but overall if there is a shortae, it will be temporary. Also, there are lots of pennies in jars all around the country. Those are the ones to get. A bank teller told me Friday that people are brinin in lots of change. It happens around Christmas every year. Go out and ask for those customer wrapped rolls !!!

Good luck.