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OK, usually when I handsort a roll, I put the zincs to one side, and the coppers on the other. Not anymore! I just opened a roll and soon figured out it was 100% CU. SO I sorted into.. shiny, and NOT shiny.(Im scientific like that) When you buy pennies at the bank, just ask for all copper rolls!

Actually it goes slightly beyond "shiny" there are certain colors that copper cents have. In other words a shiny copper cent is easily distinguishable from a shiny zince.

Once you look at them for a while you can sort with about 95% accuracy from about 10 feet away.

I noticed this too! I started hand sorting recently and I too separate them first by shine. I'm not quite good enough yet but I would say I'm about 75% right by just a quick look. I have noticed that once I pick them up the zinc ones have a worn cheap feel while the copper ones you can feel more detail. Learning more every day!

penny pretty wrote:When you buy pennies at the bank, just ask for all copper rolls!

Hahaha! I'll be sure to try that technique!

barrytrot wrote:Actually it goes slightly beyond "shiny" there are certain colors that copper cents have. In other words a shiny copper cent is easily distinguishable from a shiny zince.

Once you look at them for a while you can sort with about 95% accuracy from about 10 feet away.

I know. It was an all copper roll. I was just saying it was nice to seperate regular CU from AU CU instead of CU from zinc.

barrytrot wrote:Actually it goes slightly beyond "shiny" there are certain colors that copper cents have. In other words a shiny copper cent is easily distinguishable from a shiny zince.

Once you look at them for a while you can sort with about 95% accuracy from about 10 feet away.

Totally agree with this comment!!

Have you ever noticed that the coppers seem to have a deeper stamp to them whereas the zincs seem to wear out quicker and do not have distinct markings like the coppers do. Probably because its real money.

mongo wrote:Have you ever noticed that the coppers seem to have a deeper stamp to them whereas the zincs seem to wear out quicker and do not have distinct markings like the coppers do. Probably because its real money.

+1 I find this to be true as well.

Handsorting sucks, but the after you do it a while you just know which are which....except for those sneaky 1982 pennies. I haven't figured out a way to tell those besides dropping them on the floor to hear what kind of sound they make~!!

I got sick of putting them in a separate pile, so now I just throw them in the zinc pile.