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So I am relatively new to all of this. Skimming through a few articles ive read where people have issues when they have to move due to what they stored their pennies in. Whats everyone's preferred message? How much does a full 5 gallon bucket weigh when its copper?

I would think that a 5 gallon bucket would be too heavy to move by hand. You could probably move it with a two wheeler. I put my cents in .50 cal ammo cans. One can holds $100 face and weighs about 70 lbs. Someone here probably knows what a 5 gallon bucket of cents weighs.

tt

TXSTARFIRE wrote:I would think that a 5 gallon bucket would be too heavy to move by hand. You could probably move it with a two wheeler. I put my cents in .50 cal ammo cans. One can holds $100 face and weighs about 70 lbs. Someone here probably knows what a 5 gallon bucket of cents weighs.

tt

Interesting... I guess id be looking for a cheaper option, as the ammo cans typically cost about 10-20$... Wonder if I could obtain 1 gallon buckets from like a paint store for a decent price

5 gallon bucket is probably 150lbs+

$50 bank bags would work for a small sorter. The plastics would probably do a better job of keeping out moisture.

check craigslist. I got a bunch of used metal 7.62 cans for about $5 each.

One gallon Ziploc freezer bag-sealed and encased with small flat rate shipping box. Taped well. Easy to stack. Minimum cost. Ready to ship if you have to.

loose in the original bank boxes

you gotta wiggle and shake them a bit , but 2500 will fit

tape up tight and stack

I like old old fashioned coffee cans- metal not plastic. I also like the big five gallon paint buckets, but realize they are not meant to be moved.

Coffee cans is what I use

I used canvas bank bags

AGgressive Metal wrote:5 gallon bucket is probably 150lbs+

$50 bank bags would work for a small sorter. The plastics would probably do a better job of keeping out moisture.

+1 - that's what I use.

I store mine in 1/2 gallon juice containers. They store very well. They also work for food storage. We have been eating some rice that we stored in them about 20 years ago. No problems on quality. We did put a O2 absorber in with the rice.

Whats the best way to obtain the bank bags? Just purchase them from like Amazon?

If you want to use plastic buckets, stop by some restaurants. Lots of food comes in 5 gallon or, better yet, 2-2.5 gallon buckets. Many places have surplus and often end up throwing them away. Possibly a good source for free buckets if you ask nicely.

I use 5 gallon buckets.

Blue Lowe's for all copper.

Red Home Depot for Canadians.

Green Menards for copper 82's (yes, I separate my 82's)

Wheats go into empty orange juice containers.


Thinking about transferring from the buckets to plastic milk/water jugs for easier mobility.

I've tried different things but settled on $25 face plastic bank bags issued to gather up all the pennies when they were pulled from circulation. They are nicely labeled $25 pennies, don't weigh too much, stack pretty well and were free. Downside is you don't want to move them a lot as they streach and get scratched easily. Putting them in ziplocks is a good method too I've used but I like the sealed tamper evident nature of the bank bags - once counted in I know they have $25 face in them.

RodoubleB wrote:Whats the best way to obtain the bank bags? Just purchase them from like Amazon?

Buy them from people like me on this forum! PM how many bags you are looking for.

Or I can sell u 30/55 gallon open head steel drums...just one of my storage solutions. That 5 gallon bucket full will hold $250 in copper cents...about 165 lbs. That's what mine weigh. All the above work well.

I found some cat litter buckets in the city recycling center...I recycled them into copper penny storage buckets. I also use them for the drop buckets when sorting...cuz they are square a little taller and keep the penny bounce to a minimum.

I can fit $48 face, rolled, inside of coffee cans and stack them in the corner of the garage. Piece of cake.

I really like 5 gallon buckets. Not too hard to move. Not too bad to scoop out the coins if you ever need/want to into bags or boxes. Food-grade plastic 5 gallon buckets are cheap and plentiful.

aloneibreak wrote:loose in the original bank boxes

you gotta wiggle and shake them a bit , but 2500 will fit

tape up tight and stack

Yep, me too. Easier for me to move that way when the time comes. I might have shelves of them stored under the stairs.

Pennies? Who is saving pennies?

slickeast wrote:

Pennies? Who is saving pennies?

That'd be awesome!

I put them back in boxes. Makes them light enough to move and they stack nice. They have clear labels of being copper.
They would be harder to sell, but so far that is not my plan.

I use the red $25 boxes they come in. Totally free, easy to stack, and a good weight. I pout them in loose, and they hold around $20 per box without making them too tight. Of course, it depends on how many you have. I had over 300 boxes at the height of my collecting, and then things went down. Now that I'm moving, it doesn't matter WHAT I stacked them in. 3,500 pounds of copper is still 3,500 pounds of copper, and that is why I started dumping some and selling more. But the boxes are still good choices, IMHO