Realcent.org

I was in a bank on the Arkansas/Okalhoma border today servicing a coin sorter in a bank and ask the tellers if they had anyone coming in asking to buy or sell pennies in any kind of volume or regularity. They didn't have a clue. Nobody really ever asking about coins at all for that matter. So, at least in that area there is no one even trying to get pennies. Only someone every once in a while asking for halves.
This is not a small town and there are three banks with in sight of each other. So, there are banks and areas that have yet to tapped by penny sorters. Although they may be in out of the way places....
Just an interesting day I thought.

That's good for you, means your percentages should be higher in that area.

slickeast wrote:That's good for you, means your percentages should be higher in that area.

The pennies I get from that area are at about 20%

I'm 99% sure I'm the only one hitting my banks, they seem completely confused with me.

Pennies are good in my area - 25% COPPER or so. Competition for SILVER is horrendous and I don't think there is much left. But, every region is different, depending on how many searchers there could be. In Virginia, there are lots of SILVER searchers, but I think less COPPER searchers from what I've seen so far.

Many tellers I've met seem to have no idea why I ask for pennies. Some have asked me, and I tell them I love to sort through them and pick out the old ones. I tell them about the defective penny I sold on Ebay for over $20, and mention that I'm a substitute school teacher. Teacher, white hair, sorting pennies--I fall squarely into the goofy but harmless old man category, which suits me fine. There IS one bank I frequent where I overheard mention of "the guy who just picked up all those pennies he ordered".

tinhorn wrote:Teacher, white hair, sorting pennies--I fall squarely into the goofy but harmless old man category, which suits me fine.

Oh, yeah. Be sure to get a sweater and put leather patches on the elbows.

tinhorn wrote:Many tellers I've met seem to have no idea why I ask for pennies. Some have asked me, and I tell them I love to sort through them and pick out the old ones. I tell them about the defective penny I sold on Ebay for over $20, and mention that I'm a substitute school teacher. Teacher, white hair, sorting pennies--I fall squarely into the goofy but harmless old man category, which suits me fine. There IS one bank I frequent where I overheard mention of "the guy who just picked up all those pennies he ordered".

You're now "that penny guy".

At my pick up bank I'm the only one who does pennies. A couple of other guys do halves from what I've gathered in conversation with the tellers. I told them I sell old ones on eBay as a hobby. Not really a lie, just not all of the truth.

BTW - Getting right around 30% Cu here in SE Wisconsin.

ed_vantage17 wrote:BTW - Getting right around 30% Cu here in SE Wisconsin.

Dagnabit! I'm only getting about 12% in South Texas. Somebody has poisoned the spring from which I sip, apparently.

Mossy wrote:Oh, yeah. Be sure to get a sweater and put leather patches on the elbows.

Summer's coming. I need some black socks to wear with my sandals.

I'm only getting around 18% with CWR. There are others around the teller has told me, but I've never gotten a roll with no copper, but I have had some with only 3 or 4.
I believe the others are only looking for wheat pennies.

If I get the fed boxes they run 23%-25%.

shinnosuke wrote:
Dagnabit! I'm only getting about 12% in South Texas. Somebody has poisoned the spring from which I sip, apparently.

We are both stuck with the wonderful 12% copper rate. That is my average as well. I think south TX has one of the worst percentages both for copper and silver.

maybe the Cu is going into mexico along with the guns...

chris6084 wrote:

shinnosuke wrote:
Dagnabit! I'm only getting about 12% in South Texas. Somebody has poisoned the spring from which I sip, apparently.

We are both stuck with the wonderful 12% copper rate. That is my average as well. I think south TX has one of the worst percentages both for copper and silver.

Rats, so it's not just my banks then. I guess I will start robbing liquor stores for higher profitability and better use of my time. Can someone loan me a pair of pantyhose?

I've been getting around 30% in MI also.

you service coin counters, how did you get that gig?

chris6084 wrote:

shinnosuke wrote:
Dagnabit! I'm only getting about 12% in South Texas. Somebody has poisoned the spring from which I sip, apparently.

We are both stuck with the wonderful 12% copper rate. That is my average as well. I think south TX has one of the worst percentages both for copper and silver.

Today, I finally got around to weighing all my 1982 pennies since I started sorting in mid-February. I had a total of 1828 from that year of which 273 were too light for a good Cu ratio of 85.07%. That should bring up my overall Cu rate a bit.

bman wrote:you service coin counters, how did you get that gig?

I've been doing that for a long time. It just sort of happened through selling supplies and machines in banks. Sell the machine and thenn service it...

25 -30% in Western NY. I hardly ever ask for halves anymore because I haven't found any silver in a long time.

Dave wrote:25 -30% in Western NY. I hardly ever ask for halves anymore because I haven't found any silver in a long time.

20-25 % in Mass, and I just got the first 40% half in a year today... I ask but there are not many halves around here..