What's it take to smelt a Penny?

[Henchman]

Few thoughts popped into my head today.

1) What goes into smelting a penny down to pure copper?
2) What will the scrapyards do when we start bringing in tons of Cu Pennies?
3) How much will they pay for 95% Cu Pennies per lb compared to spot?

I am ass u me ing that Zinc incinerates at a lower temp then Cu and then the Cu will just be poured into workable bars/sheets. How easy is that process compared to other forms of metal the scrap yards work with?

Stack on!
Henchman

[Kurr]

1. Smelting is done, to the best of my knowledge, on ores. Refining to pure is done electrolyticly(sp?).

2. Scrapyards will buy them just like they do every other metal as soon as it is legal to do so.

3. Same percentage as every other metal, depends on the yard.


I do not think most scrap yards melt anything. Maybe crush it or chop it up, never seen one melt.

Zinc burns out some, but would still leave tin, etc.

[aaa30040]

Silly question since I have never been to a scrap yard, what is a typical percentage they might pay?

[ed_vantage17]

I feel that a Cu penny would be classified as #2 Copper (94%-97% purity) and paid as such. You can call your local recycler and get a feel for what they pay for that now.

[Robarons]

When it becomes legal to do so I think scrapyards are going to classify Copper pennies as its own separate category. Because its high class copper created and verified by the US GOVT as 95% copper it can be refined easier than say copper wire or pipe that might have impurities such as other metals or plastic. Even #1 Copper likely has some kind of impurities or inconsistencies that can effect the copper and price its self.

But even #1 copper in my area is barely catching $3 at best so I think that CU pennies are going to be better with coin dealers than scrap yards- hopefully gaining a 'wheat penny' status.

[fansubs_ca]

I hear you can make pennies into wire by getting 2 Scotsmen to go for it at the same time.
(I can get away with that joke because I am at least 50% Scottish. )

Good luck trying to get it back from us afterwards though.

[PennyBoy]

Lotsa guts.

[texcollex]

I'd like to just keep my pennies for retirement, hopefully just sell em on Epay or something for 20x fv

I don't know why the gov would ever lift the melt ban. They can just collect up the copper themselves and spread it 1000x over zinc pennies

[CuJoe]

I'd like to just keep my pennies for retirement, hopefully just sell em on Epay or something for 20x fv

I don't know why the gov would ever lift the melt ban. They can just collect up the copper themselves and spread it 1000x over zinc pennies

Don't give them any ideas!!!