Copper Pennies in the spotlight! *UPDATE again*

[NHsorter]

Glad to hear that the guy is legit though. I am excited to see the show.

gal

Cool, now I am even more excited

[highroller4321]

Okay what is up with all of these "ex-forum members?" Frugi mentioned this too.

When we moved the forum over some members didn't make it over and some just don't post anymore.

[adagirl]

Okay what is up with all of these "ex-forum members?" Frugi mentioned this too.

When we moved the forum over some members didn't make it over and some just don't post anymore.

My impression, and I could be wrong, from Frugi's comments it seemed some old members had become disillusioned. Oh well, I'm glad to be here.

[henrysmedford]

We are going to be portrayed as a bunch of militant wackos.

The average 'tounge stud' American will ignore the facts and there will be no run on cents.

Most of those who will be in the game are in the game. That is, until the brutal economic reality forces the normal (statistically speaking) retard American moron into the real world.

It's kinda sad, but all of the points that you made may be spot on.

Or 100% wrong


What you guys don't know is that the reporter who did this story.....ALREADY DID ANOTHER PENNY STORY 3 years ago with Ryedale and another ex-forum member. It was a radio show though instead of TV. She has just worked her way up the food chain and now can present the story to a National TV audience.

I found the old story http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/03/18/hoarding_pennies/

[adagirl]

thanks for sharing the article!

[frugi]

Okay what is up with all of these "ex-forum members?" Frugi mentioned this too.

When we moved the forum over some members didn't make it over and some just don't post anymore.

My impression, and I could be wrong, from Frugi's comments it seemed some old members had become disillusioned. Oh well, I'm glad to be here.

What I meant when I briefly brought it up, I was referring to my disinterest in computers and the internet in general. Maybe other members that no longer post just got to the point of realizing life is more than just plugging in everyday. I am a stones throw away from throwing my computer once again out the window. I did it once several years ago, but obviously I bought a new one. At some point you realize your priorities, and sometimes they may not include your online buddies. From my experience it can happen on a whim, one day I am on here talking about tommorow, and then you won't hear from me again for several years. Live life everyday to the fullest. Maybe some of our members who don't post anymore have gone a new path, or maybe they changed they're user-name, and still lurk, or maybe they moved on, and will never come back. One thing I have seen from being here since practically the beginning is many, many great folks, have come and gone, but we have more members now than we have ever had, and I believe the smartest in our history, let's all keep up the good work. This upcoming publicity is what some of us have been waiting years for. Let's enjoy it. Live for today.

[adagirl]

Okay I follow you now. It makes much more sense to me now.

I have been there with throwing the computer out of the window, except I stopped and contained my anger somehow.

Live in the here-and-now! Frugi you are a good existentialist.

[highroller4321]

Story got pushed untill later in November...I will keep everyone updated!

[twoten01]

The 4th, would have been a great date with Cu, climbing 10 cents today, hopefully it will still be on an upswing then as well. I think if it is at a higher price, will be the best way to draw in more people to penny "hoarding", which is good for everyboy in the long run.

[ScottyTX]

Story got pushed untill later in November...I will keep everyone updated!

Ahh geeze that's sucks. I'm turning 30 on Nov 4th and would looking for to waching it on my birthday. Guess I'll have to talk to the wife about providing some alternate entertainment for the evening/night.

[slickeast]

Too many "breaking" stories for them to cover the last few day. With Kim K filing for a divorce and other HEADLINE news stories to cover, the penny story is going to have to wait until they have a slow week.

[Corsair]

Too many "breaking" stories for them to cover the last few day. With Kim K filing for a divorce and other HEADLINE news stories to cover, the penny story is going to have to wait until they have a slow week.

I didn't know you were so up on pop culture, Slick.

Let us know whenever you hear something, Adam. Looking forward to seeing it.

[TXBullion]

Too many "breaking" stories for them to cover the last few day. With Kim K filing for a divorce and other HEADLINE news stories to cover, the penny story is going to have to wait until they have a slow week.

I didn't know you were so up on pop culture, Slick.

Let us know whenever you hear something, Adam. Looking forward to seeing it.

Cover is officially blown slickeast

[chris6084]

Story got pushed untill later in November...I will keep everyone updated!

Good, I wasnt going to be home anyways, so I was going to miss it. Hopefully I can catch it on the new date.

[highroller4321]

Just got word this is going to air tonight!

[henrysmedford]

Just got word this is going to air tonight!

From--http://abcnews.go.com/Business/laws-change-penny-hoarders-cash-thousands-dollars/story?id=15076522#.TtlSft3NLdw
If Laws Change, 'Penny Hoarders' Could Cash in on Thousands of Dollars

Inside a shed next to his house in Medford, Ore., Joe Henry has orange tubs filled with an astonishing 200,000 pennies. But Henry is only interested in those that are dated from 1982 and earlier because those are the coins that were made of copper. (ABC News)


If Laws Change, 'Penny Hoarders' Could Cash in on Thousands of Dollars
By NEAL KARLINSKY and MARY-ROSE ABRAHAM
Dec. 2, 2011—
go.com
Joe Henry is on a first name basis with bank tellers across his hometown of Medford, Ore., scouring 15 banks a week with one thing on his mind: pennies.

Henry is often seen toting around bags of pennies, some he buys, others he changes back in for cash, which seems a little strange at first. He's not a collector, he is what's known as a "penny hoarder" and he is not alone.

Inside a shed next to his house, Henry has orange tubs filled with 200,000 pennies, and he spends hours sorting through roll after roll of the coins. But it's not just any and all pennies, Henry is only interested in those that are dated from 1982 and earlier because those are the coins made with 95 percent copper. A copper penny is worth more than other pennies -- now mostly made of zinc -- currently priced at $0.024.

Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 11:35 p.m. ET

"The copper has such a different sound than zinc pennies do," Henry said. "Real money has that definite sound of money and if you listen to a modern zinc penny, they don't sound the same, they sound sort of tinny."

Henry even has a $500 home counting machine to separate out the copper ones.

Much like the resurging obsession with gold, the price of copper has skyrocketed in recent years and the rising price has led to some unusual sprees. Thieves have been exploiting the value hidden in obscure items, stripping copper wiring from phone and utility cables, from construction sites, even from a 122-year-old copper bell that was stolen from a San Francisco cathedral.

In San Diego, so much copper wiring has been stolen from eight different city parks, that soccer teams can't practice because the field lights stopped working.

But penny hoarders aren't thieves, just opportunists. There are a slew of listing for pennies in bulk on eBay, but what's amazing is they include listings for $10 in pennies being sold for $20 dollars. If you think only a sucker would pay two cents for a penny, you're missing out on a business opportunity that Adam Youngs, who runs a massive penny sorting operation in Portland, Ore., has perfected.

He explained how he can sell a $100 worth of pennies for $192, when shipping and packaging are included.

Youngs' operation, the Portland Mint, is locked inside a secure facility that deals with armored cars -- selling and shipping to clients in every state -- and works in pennies by the ton. He said he has clients with deep pockets who are storing huge sacks of pennies and he has inquires from hedge funds.

"Just in face value alone, about $270,000 dollars [in pennies] right now," Youngs said. "That is just the face value, that is not even the copper value. The copper value is about three times that much."

Clients use Youngs because he separates copper pennies from the chump change -- the newer pennies that are only worth $0.01.

But in the weird world of penny hoarding, getting to the copper is a very big problem. It's illegal to melt pennies an there is an obscure federal law that makes it illegal to transport more than $5 in pennies out of the country.

Penny hoarders know this of course, but they also know something else. In what could be the biggest legislation to hit the U.S. Mint in 50 years, officials are now looking at the composition of pennies and nickels and considering an overhaul. If the laws change and the mint decides to abolish the penny, people would be free to melt them down for the copper.

A penny saved, many times over, could be a whole lot earned.

[adagirl]

Just got word this is going to air tonight!

I assume on ABC, but what time?

[appjoe]

Just got word this is going to air tonight!

I assume on ABC, but what time?

11:30 PM here on the Eastcoast

[adagirl]

thanks!

I guess we will see how our penny hoarding gig is affected by this after tonight's show.

[DirtyFingers]

Really looking forward to seeing this. Got my dvr set for 10:30 central.

Maybe I will live long enough to see a profitable market develop for our passion after all!

[crazypennyguy]

Just got word this is going to air tonight!

You look like a regular guy, which probably explains why they didn't go with the nutter angle

Come to think of it, though, I don't know what anyone looks like here except you and Joe. Had I not seen the special, I wouldn't know what anyone here looks like.

(And, of course, no-one knows what I look like...)

[Rodebaugh]

you look around hard enough on this site and you can find pics of about 1-2 Dozen members easy. Heck my mug is posted in 3-4 places.

[crazypennyguy]

you look around hard enough on this site and you can find pics of about 1-2 Dozen members easy. Heck my mug is posted in 3-4 places.

I didn't know that.

But now that you've brought it up, I might as well show my notably unflattering mug shot from my driver's license.



(I'm actually quite nearsighted and require thick glasses, which I took off for the shoot. Helps explain my bemused look.)

[exbingoaddict]

Since we're sharing photos....

Mclovin.jpg (51.72 KiB) Viewed 659 times

[henrysmedford]

It my first time uploading a video.
From http://abcnews.go.com/Business/laws-change-penny-hoarders-cash-thousands-dollars/story?id=15076522#.TtoFdnEWXow


And from my hometown.