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 Mix Canadian coppers with US ones?
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wagsthadog
Penny Hoarding Member


USA
565 Posts

Posted - 09/22/2009 :  23:35:57  Show Profile Send wagsthadog a Private Message
Hi all,

Taking my cent sorting to the next level over here (well, the next level for ME, anyway) and I was wondering- does anyone here have any qualms about mixing Canadian coppers with US coppers?

I can see how people would be concerned about having mixed currencies in their stash, but since all of us are getting and hoarding cents for intrinsic value rather than face, does anyone care what's on the coin as long as it's copper?

I know that certain date Canadian coins actually have a little MORE copper than US cents. I would not mind about missing out on the .0001 cent more copper between US and CDN cents as long as I can get away with putting them both in the same bin rather than keeping them all seperate.

What do you big-time penny bullion dealers do?

Thanks in advance,
wags


Only when they CAN'T have it, ......THEN they'll want it.

I love Cents. If you get an UNC box, you win. If you get a regular circ. box, you win. If you get a zinc box, you don't lose....so you still win.

sheba
Penny Pincher Member



USA
191 Posts

Posted - 09/22/2009 :  23:42:29  Show Profile Send sheba a Private Message
I'm really, really far from a 'big time' penny sorter/hoarder ... so I'll 'second' the question. Would very much appreciate hearing what the 'big guys' do with Canadian coppers.

(FWIW... Right now I throw my Canadian pre-1996 pennies in with my US coppers because I am stashing for copper value, not for numismatics value)

sheba

woof ... wag ... whine
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AGgressive Metal
Administrator



USA
1937 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  00:11:03  Show Profile Send AGgressive Metal a Private Message
One is 95% and one is 97%, so as long as you are pricing it by the US percentage, you could actually say you are giving your buyers an added bonus. As for me though, I like it seperate.

And he that hath lyberte ought to kepe hit wel / For nothyng is better than lyberte / For lyberte shold not be wel sold for alle the gold and syluer of all the world.
-Caxton's edition of Aesop's Fables, 1484
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dakota1955
1000+ Penny Miser Member



2212 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  08:14:48  Show Profile  Send dakota1955 a Yahoo! Message Send dakota1955 a Private Message
I keep them apart so the one day I will sort the Canadians by date. It is only one coffee can right now.
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highroller4321
1000+ Penny Miser Member



USA
2648 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  08:55:34  Show Profile Send highroller4321 a Private Message
If I see the Canadain I pull it out. However, I don't try to sort it out. I would not mix the Canadain in with the U.S on purpose simply because new people to the hobby may not understand why there is Canadain in the mix.

Copper Penny Investing
www.portlandmint.com
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theo
Penny Hoarding Member



USA
588 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  10:06:54  Show Profile Send theo a Private Message
I separate Canadian coppers as well, which comprise about 1% to 2% of my stash. It's easier for me as I am a hand sorter, but beyond that I don't like the idea of mixing currencies. Also I believe it is currently legal to melt the Canadian coins.

I also separate and roll AU and cull copper coins.

Edited by - theo on 09/23/2009 10:31:41
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AgCollector
Penny Collector Member



USA
266 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  10:46:10  Show Profile Send AgCollector a Private Message
A few facts to keep in mind-

-although they are basically the same 98% copper alloy from 1942 to 1996 (the remaining 2% changes slightly), the weight changes twice.

-because of this, Canadian cents from 1942 to 1979 weigh more than a US copper cent (3.24 g) and are more pure, however, 1980 to 1981 weigh less (2.8 g) and 1982 to 1996 weigh even less (2.5 g).

-so, if you are selling by face value, including Canadian cents after 1979 are adding less copper value than a US copper cent, which might make a buyer complain.

-as has been said, the presence of Canadian cents at all might put some people off.

With all this in mind, if you're hand sorting anyways I would personally put all the canadians aside and sell them separately. On a related note, a batch of pure canadian coppers tend to sell for more than US coppers.

Edited to add: Theo brings up a good point about it being currently legal to melt Canadian cents, too.

Edited by - AgCollector on 09/23/2009 10:49:48
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country_bumpkin
Penny Sorter Member



USA
86 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  11:00:47  Show Profile Send country_bumpkin a Private Message
Keep them separate. The melt ban doesn't apply.

I have 20 pounds of them in two cans: one can through 1979, the other can starting 1980. Scrappers don't seem to know what the heck they are, but people in the "know" will buy them one day.

“He who goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing.”

- Benjamin Franklin
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JobIII
1000+ Penny Miser Member



USA
1507 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  12:37:39  Show Profile Send JobIII a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by theo

I separate Canadian coppers as well, which comprise about 1% to 2% of my stash. It's easier for me as I am a hand sorter, but beyond that I don't like the idea of mixing currencies. Also I believe it is currently legal to melt the Canadian coins.

I also separate and roll AU and cull copper coins.



Wow! 1-2% you must find a large amount of copper canadians, or do you just never sell off your CA coins? Even if i were to hold only the CA coins and wheats, i'd still have very little CAcoins.

I do keep them separate, though i haven't sorted the years by the different weight groups.

Selling Copper cents. $0 FV available at 1.4xFV. Also interested in trading for wheat pennies and other coins Please pm me for requests or inquiries.



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Bluegill
1000+ Penny Miser Member



USA
1964 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  13:13:50  Show Profile Send Bluegill a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by JobIII

quote:
Originally posted by theo

I separate Canadian coppers as well, which comprise about 1% to 2% of my stash. It's easier for me as I am a hand sorter, but beyond that I don't like the idea of mixing currencies. Also I believe it is currently legal to melt the Canadian coins.

I also separate and roll AU and cull copper coins.



Wow! 1-2% you must find a large amount of copper canadians, or do you just never sell off your CA coins? Even if i were to hold only the CA coins and wheats, i'd still have very little CAcoins.

I do keep them separate, though i haven't sorted the years by the different weight groups.


In my area, 1 to 2% of the circulating coins are Canadian. The pennies being closer to the 2%.

I would not deliberately mix them either.

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JerrySpringer
Penny Hoarding Member



669 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  14:30:13  Show Profile Send JerrySpringer a Private Message
quote:
Scrappers don't seem to know what the heck they are, but people in the "know" will buy them one day


All it takes is copper price to get high enough. Canadian silver use to be easier to find under-spot, but as silver prices climb, there is a premium on the coins now. Copper at $5/lb will attract sorters all over the joint.
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sheba
Penny Pincher Member



USA
191 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  21:36:05  Show Profile Send sheba a Private Message
Just wanted to say 'thanks' for the advice from the 'experts' on separating Canadian and US coppers. I started doing that and will go back and do some resorting to separate, as time allows. There is some really great advice to be found on this forum!

sheba

woof ... wag ... whine
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Tourney64
1000+ Penny Miser Member



USA
1035 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  21:44:02  Show Profile Send Tourney64 a Private Message
If the melt ban ever gets lifted, then mixing US with Canadian will boost the Copper % and then possibly the scrap value.
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jin.coy
Penny Pincher Member



Canada
128 Posts

Posted - 09/23/2009 :  21:51:26  Show Profile Send jin.coy a Private Message
When I was sorting CU in Canada I used to find 4-6% US coins.
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biglouddrunk
Penny Pincher Member



138 Posts

Posted - 09/25/2009 :  03:05:26  Show Profile Send biglouddrunk a Private Message
In Michigan I get about 4% canadian. Most are 96 and earlier.
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metalmoney.ca
Penny Pincher Member



Canada
223 Posts

Posted - 09/26/2009 :  13:39:18  Show Profile Send metalmoney.ca a Private Message
I keep them all separate, and with canadians i separate 42-79, 80-81, and 82-96. IMO, the 82-96 are more valuable when selling by the pound, because they have less copper per cent face value. Therefore your downside risk is lower because you have more pennies per pound.

metal is a claim on future human labour. let's all go get some while the getting is good, eh?
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jadedragon
Administrator



Canada
3788 Posts

Posted - 09/26/2009 :  22:51:11  Show Profile Send jadedragon a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by metalmoney.ca

I keep them all separate, and with canadians i separate 42-79, 80-81, and 82-96. IMO, the 82-96 are more valuable when selling by the pound, because they have less copper per cent face value. Therefore your downside risk is lower because you have more pennies per pound.



Correct assessment. On the flip side the older coins have some chance of becoming more valuable to collectors and I separate the kings out. I don't bother to sort out the various years of the queens though anymore.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw.
Why Copper Bullion ~~~ Interview with Silver Bullion Producer Market Harmony
Passive Income blog
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CoinHunter53562
1000+ Penny Miser Member



USA
1805 Posts

Posted - 09/27/2009 :  11:49:30  Show Profile Send CoinHunter53562 a Private Message
I keep them separate, and then further sort down the Canadian cents into:

George V
George VI
Young queens
Queens 1965-1979
Queens 1980-1996

Originally I was doing G5, G6, Queens 1953-1981, Queens 1982-1996 but after doing a recent trade with a member here it had to be in the above categories (which made alot of sense actually). To complete the trade I had to go back and sort over 5000 cents by hand, including checking dates. Going forward, I won't have to do that. But definitely keep the US and Canadian cents separate if you plan to resell.

My hobby: collecting real money 1 copper cent or nickel at a time.

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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator



USA
6807 Posts

Posted - 09/27/2009 :  13:26:37  Show Profile Send HoardCopperByTheTon a Private Message
Time to set up the sorting bins. Only need 7 bins.

George V (very small bin)
George VI
Young queens
Queens 1965-1979
Rock Doves 1967
Queens 1980-1981
Lite Queens 1982-1996


If your percentages are low.. just sort more. If your percentages are high.. just sort more.

Now selling Copper pennies. 1.6x plus shipping. Limited amounts available.
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jadedragon
Administrator



Canada
3788 Posts

Posted - 09/27/2009 :  14:18:04  Show Profile Send jadedragon a Private Message
No need to check dates - sort by portrait and most of the time just by the look/shape of the coin.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard Shaw.
Why Copper Bullion ~~~ Interview with Silver Bullion Producer Market Harmony
Passive Income blog
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Bluegill
1000+ Penny Miser Member



USA
1964 Posts

Posted - 09/27/2009 :  17:20:17  Show Profile Send Bluegill a Private Message
quote:
Originally posted by jadedragon

No need to check dates - sort by portrait and most of the time just by the look/shape of the coin.


Yep. I can sort the Zn/Fe from the Cu and sort out the 3 different weights faster by that method than I can sorting U.S. Zn from Cu by date checking.


Edited by - Bluegill on 09/27/2009 17:20:54
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