Give a penny, take a penny

[Chief]

Have I really gotten this far that every time I am inside a gas station that I go through the give a penny, take a penny dish? I never find more than 4 or 5 coppers, but being a smoker I probably stop by the gas station about once a day. In a week, that amount of coppers has to add up. Anyone else religiously check the give a penny, take a penny tray? By the way, today I found a 1953-d wheat and a AU 1973.

[timmus0382]

yup I get a half dozen a day at different gas station stops. I gave up trying to explain no one understands.

[tinhorn]

My eyeballs aren't good enough to see the dates. But I'm a substitute teacher, and a recent lesson in an elementary class was learning to add coins and make different combinations. This teacher had a bunch of real pennies mixed in with all the plastic ones, and I had to stop myself from offering to buy the wheats from the second-graders.

[Coppercrazy]

I contemplate exchanging zincs for coppers but havent yet done it...

[Morsecode]

I have graduated to the point where I just brazenly take them with no explanation.

[TXBullion]

I swap any since I might get in change with any coppers in the tray

[NotABigDeal]

I still check all of them. And take 'em.... I too stay quite about it. I just get odd looks, but I don't care, hehe.

Deal

[merchoarder]

I haven't started swapping out coppers yet but I always look. I have found about three wheats in the last year! Just took 'em I've pulled five or six nickels out too and a few quarters. It's amazing what people will put in there!

[Chief]

I never replace the pennies in the trays. The fact is that no one cares about the give a penny, take a penny tray. To the uneducated, they are just pennies, but to me (us) it is a few extra coppers that you would not have if you didn't take them.
I am sure the clerks wonder what the heck I am doing checking all the dates and only keeping a few, but I also ask for a roll back if my change is greater than $.50. I assume you all also pick up pennies off the ground, since those are free as well (often copper too ).

[cesariojpn]

I've done it, but out of courtesy, I replace what I take. It looks good and the guys behind the counter don't think of me as being a jerk. I want them to keep it in place, not take it away.

[andrewjackson]

Thanks guys, I thought I was going nuts. I've gone as far as going through through the entire tray also,and replace with worthless zinc. Definitely have received the strange looks. I just smile and keep collecting

[Sheikh_yer_Bu'Tay]

:lol: Thanks guys, I thought I was going nuts. I've gone as far as going through through the entire tray also,and replace with worthless zinc. Definitely have received the strange looks. I just smile and keep collecting

I do it too, when I am not in a hurry. I just tell them I collect old pennies(old, like me!). It always brings a smile.

[HPMBTT]

I have graduated to the point where I just brazenly take them with no explanation.

My my...now that's some cajones you got there. Just take, don't ask.

[assetcoin]

I always look to see how many "good ones" I can see, but I don't have the guts to take them.

[OtusLotus]

I always go thru the tray, no matter where I am!

Whether gas stations, convenience stores, adult erotic toy store (see earlier post)....

It doesn't matter to me.. I have a mission in life, to acquire a lot of cents... whether they are copper cents, wheaties, or common sense.. it is all a game to me!

[Gobirds]

I too am obsessed. I tried to pry a pre-1982 penny from the street in NYC when traffic started. It got stuck in the tar and I tried to free it. Almost wound up like a squished bug on the front of a cab, but at least I got a good story, even if I could not get the Lincoln.

[NotABigDeal]

I always look to see how many "good ones" I can see, but I don't have the guts to take them.

Sissy, hehe.

Just take 'em. What can they say? Remember, you collect copper cents for a hobby and you need more coppers. Those are actually free coppers if you do not replace them. I used to replace them, but not any more. After all, that is not the stores money. It belongs to the sucker who just left it. Finders keepers....

I have seen a sign on one that said, "Need a penny take one, need two get a job." I still took several, left none, and I'm employed, hehe.

Deal

[corky569]

Last week I stopped at a small fishing store and his penny tray was overflowing. I picked up a King George, a wheat, and a copper Canadian. He didn't ask, I didn't tell. I did spend 15.00 bucks in there though.

[merchoarder]

Found another wheat in give a penny-take a penny tray! There were only two pennies in the tray and the wheat stood out like a sore thumb!

[avidbrandy]

Wow. I just read this whole thread. I'm obviously falling behind.

I don't know that I can do this yet. I think I have to try though now. Thank you.

[ZigMeister]

The last couple of times I went to my favorite Chinese restaurant I looked thru their GPTP dish to take out the coppers and had always replaced what I took. This last time I pulled 10 Cu (one was a 1940 Wheat) and was going thru my change to replace them when the cashier said to just take them.

[John_doe]

I have never done this, but I have eyeballed the thing a few times since the start of this thread. I don't think I would do it unless I saw a wheat or Canadian.


What if someone threw a vdb s in one of those things, that would start a brawl if more than 2 realcent members were present.

[HoardCopperByTheTon]

How do you think the hoard got so big?

[John_doe]

How do you think the hoard got so big?

abnormally large (unuseable) loafer collection?

Sorry been wanting to use that one for a while now. This is the best circumstance I have found to apply the joke.

[merchoarder]

Does anyone know where you can get those trays? Started thinking and realized I could harvest some good copper from one. Nothing shady. But if I put one at the register in the restaurant I work in it could really pay off. I seed it with ten or twenty zincs and everyday I replace the coppers with more zinc. That's harmless right? Just need to find one, looked on the bay and couldn't find any? Thoughts?