Sometimes I think I'm a little nuts, but I've really enjoyed the past year while I lost my mind sorting pennies.
I'm sure some of you have seen the show "Hoarders" on A&E. My roommate and I have discussed filming a "Penny Hoarder" show. It all starts with an above average young male who starts saving the coppers out of pocket change, then he starts getting a bigger supply via rolls at the bank. It starts off small, maybe $10 at a time. Just whatever the tellers have on hand. They just give him strange looks and figure,"hey, why not?" After $10 of rolls at a time won't fuel this drive for more copper pennies, $25 boxes seem to satisfy the thirst for copper. Along the way, every "give a penny, take a penny" tray he encounters is raided for the "free" coppers.
His personal appearance starts to decline. The once clean cut young man starts only shaving once a week, more money for pennies, right? The last time he had a haircut was almost 2 months ago. Friends are the first to notice the transformation taking place inside their friend. They see the evidence of penny sorting; the paper from the rolls, the empty String boxes that now everywhere in the living room. The man says that he is keeping them for a little help starting a fire in the fireplace. A green, 5 gallon bucket is noticed in the garage of the house with lots of pennies. That bucket was almost half full! Must be at least $100 in pennies.
Shortly his family becomes aware of this new interest in pennies. Some support his habit and save whatever they find in their change to give to him. Other family members just think he is in a phase. He'll lose interest after a few months. But he doesn't....
After lurking on Realcent.org and its previous incarnation, he decides to join the site to add to the discussion and ask some newbie questions. The innocent looking website is packed with nice and interesting people, full of knowledge. This site leads to his downfall, but more on that later. He must now place orders of coin at the local credit union. The first order is for 2 boxes, $50. Sorts it by hand in about 4 hours. There has to be a way he can process more coins. Over the next weeks he ups the ante and orders more and more coin. After taking an hour and a half a day for six days a week, he has had enough. He cannot process that much copper. A copper penny sorting machine is often talked about on that Realcent.org. After considering the cost and the advantages of the coin sorter for about 2 minutes, he orders one. In his mind, this time saving, gift of the gods cannot come fast enough...
I might write more later, but you get the gist of it. Productive member of society starts to turn to the dark side, but just how
dark will it get? Kinda like a "Reefer Madness" but for pennies. By the way, based on a true story.