Login

Need some advice on 94 lb of pennies please

My pastor asked me to evaluate his father's coin collection which actually is an accumulation. It includes 94 lbs of pennies. Much of it had been rolled according to date or a range of dates. But the majority of the pennies are well circulated, loose in containers marked by a range if dates like 1960's to 1989. I don't have the month or more that it would take to look at every penny in the hopes of finding a keeper. He asked for a general evaluation and what to do with them. I'd like to know what you would do. Please give me some ideas. Thank you.

1 year ago

Simple, unless you are wanting to check all of them for errors/varieties, he should spend them. 

1 year ago

Well, that's certainly one option. 

1 year ago

Sell them wholesale to a dealer

1 year ago

I’m not sure you could fetch a price above face for most of them, but the copper ones definitely could fetch SOME premium over face value. If it were me, I would make sure to check those 1984s for that doubled ear. My friend has found one in rolls, and it is worth over $100. Worst case scenario, you waste a little bit of time. 

11 months ago

It is even possible to find multiple rarities from that age range. The 1969-S doubled die is a good error. The 1984 doubled ear is a nice variety. And then there's the copper comp. 1982-D small date cent which only two have been found. Not listed in the 2022 Red Book. The other two are though.

11 months ago

To search all those cents and try to find them is not worth your hard work. I can tell you if there rare you won't find d them..And using a loop on all of them might hurt your eyes. So do a roll a day.

11 months ago

I have a similar situation.  My father (ANA323) died recently.  He had sold off most of his valuable coins and we are still doing inventory on what is left, but he had 40 rolls of pennies from 1959 to 1989 that he classified as unc, bu or au.  (Each roll is one year and mint).  He also had 65 rolls (mostly full rolls) of nickels from 1938 to 1968 most of which are UNC or BU.  I am thinking that if there were errors, he would have found them.  Is there any hope of getting more than face value for these?

11 months ago

You most certainly have to see if there are wartime nickels in the nickel rolls as those would be good. Look for nickels from 1942-45 with a giant mintmark above the dome of Monticello and usually a really dark color unless in very good condition. These wartime nickels are 35% silver and worth about two bucks a piece. As for the cents, I would take them to a dealer if they are all BU and you could probably above face value. If you want to take the time to search through them, your luck might pay off and you might find something. A few things to think over. 

11 months ago

Its hard to say. Condition is everything. On cents from the 30's to 40's MS 67 is the drawing point big difference form 66 to 67. And red  red brown.. Sorry to here about your dad. You have his memories. Hold on to them.

11 months ago
We use cookies to provide users the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your cookie settings, we'll assume that you agree to receive all cookies on money.org. You may disable cookies at any time using your internet browser configuration. By continuing to use this website, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use. To learn more about how we use cookies and to review our privacy policy, click here.