Pennies, pre-zinc…

[Bob Blaylock]

So far, being fairly new to this hobby, I have found quite a few pennies. Most are the 1982+ zinc-core copper-plated pennies, which I assume to generally have little value beyond their face value.

I was wondering about the older brass pennies, up to 1982. I know that pennies went to being zinc in 1982, because the brass pennies were getting to where the metal in them was worth more than their face value. Do they have any particular value to collectors? Is there somewhere where I could take a bunch of brass pennies, and someone would pay me more than 1¢ each for them?

I just now went through a jar in which my wife and I have been collecting pennies, and I found 28 brass pennies, and two bronze “wheat” pennies. I also found one of the 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial pennies, but I'm not inclined to assume that it is particularly valuable.




I have learned, by the way, that the 1982+ zinc pennies often do not hold up very well, if buried, or otherwise placed in a corrosive environment. I guess it ought to have been obvious, if I thought about it, but seeing it made me realize that if the copper plating is breached, and the coin is then put into such an environment, it basically becomes a shorted-out battery, and corrodes itself away to produce wasted electrical current within itself.

 

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[austin]

I have a complete 1939-1960 collection. Coin shop offered me $ .01 each. Sorry. 1955s worth a little. Seen them for $5 in coin shops. Other collection is about half full. 1909-1938 or so. Offered $ .01 each for them too. Coin books show more value, but truthfully, not that much. Now in the 60's I had a complete buffalo nickel and a complete mercury dime collection. Poped them out of the collection books and spent them on beer. Oops...

 

[Bob Blaylock]

I have a complete 1939-1960 collection. Coin shop offered me $ .01 each. Sorry. 1955s worth a little. Seen them for $5 in coin shops. Other collection is about half full. 1909-1938 or so. Offered $ .01 each for them too. Coin books show more value, but truthfully, not that much. Now in the 60's I had a complete buffalo nickel and a complete mercury dime collection. Poped them out of the collection books and spent them on beer. Oops...

So, not much point, then, in saving the brass pennies. Might as well put them back in the penny jar.

I guess if might be worth hanging on to the wheat pennies. If I accumulate enough of them, perhaps it'll be worth going somewhere to try to sell them.

 

[Chizzy]

So, not much point, then, in saving the brass pennies. Might as well put them back in the penny jar.

I guess if might be worth hanging on to the wheat pennies. If I accumulate enough of them, perhaps it'll be worth going somewhere to try to sell them.

Bulk common date wheats will get 2 to 3 cents each at a coin shop or pawn shop in my area...............

 

[Go!d&$ilver]

I just save all my </=1982 coppers. If we ever encounter a recession, depression, or economic collapse they might come in handy.

 

[Rob in KS]

Some 1982 cents are not zinc inside. The best way to tell is to weigh them.
Also check Ebay to see if any are selling at more than face.
Go to the coins section of T-Net and read some posts. There are people hoarding them.

 

[wavecrazed]

There is a web page on the real cent forum that takes the price of copper at the current rate and calculates the worth

 

[Swaveab]

Austin, are you sure you had every date and mint mark for all of the mercury dimes? If you did, then Im sure you'd kick yourself at how much that beer really cost you. One dime in particular is the 1916-D and even in real bad condition it is worth about a grand by itself.

I saw something similar happen to my father when my mother didn't have any cash and wanted some smokes. She popped some of my dad's quarters all dated in the early 30s with the '32-D and the '32-S included. Her smokes cost him about a grand too.