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n/a
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2 Posts |
 Posted - 10/05/2006 : 13:33:55
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Has anyone done any penny counting based on volume? Like how many pennies fit into a 5 gallon bucket or other standard container?
I have found a source for a large hoard of pennies, im guessing about 40 gallons in volume but they are all in different containers, rolls etc. In order for this person to sell them to me we need to figure out how many he has and the only easy way I can figure out how to do that would be to do it by volume since they are a mix of zinc and copper pennies.
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Edited by - n/a on 10/05/2006 14:16:52 |
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14 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 13:47:10
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| For that kind of volume I would buy a coin counting machine. You can get a small one for around $800. |
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n/a
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78 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 14:17:15
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You could take a representative sample to find out the ratio of zinc to copper, and they do it by weight. Say, count out 500 randomly-selected pennies, see how much that weighs, divide the total weight by the weight of 500, and multiply that by $5.
If the containers aren't all the same mix, it might make it a bit different, but you still might be able to agree on an amount.
BTW, for that same $800, you could get that machine that seperates zinc from copper, which would save you a lot of work anyway. :) |
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81 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 15:01:20
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for that same 800 dollars you could buy 1600 penny rolls and sort them yourself.
i feel any money i put towards copper pennies goes into buying the rolls themselves. i just cant justify spending that much on something i can do myself. |
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Metalophile
Penny Collector Member
USA
320 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 15:52:36
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quote:
Originally posted by FlyingMoose
You could take a representative sample to find out the ratio of zinc to copper, and they do it by weight. . . .
It sounds like a representative sample will be difficult with so many different containers. If this was hoarded over a period of years, early containers probably have a higher percentage of bronze than later ones.
Maybe you could fill a gallon or half gallon container with pennies and count. Then do it by how many gallons he has.
Metalophile |
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2 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 17:14:16
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I did an ebay search and found several sorter\counters in the $450 range down to $100 but couldnt find anything on the one that sorts zinc from copper. Where do I get info on that??
I really want to avoid all the work of counting out a gallon and then calculating how much would be in the 5 gallon for 2 reasons, the work involved and also how accurate would that be? If the 1 gallon accuracy is +-5% (just picking a number) would that mean that when I do the 5 gallon calculation I could be off as much as 25%. Those numbers dont sound right and im not a mathmatician but im sure it would compound the margin of error.
Does anyone have one of those 5 gallon jugs filled with pennies and know how many are in there? I have been searching the internet and im not finding alot of information on the number of pennies contained in a gallon - go figure... |
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81 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 18:42:51
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i store my pennies in half gallon containers. each one holds about 25 dollars worth of pennies. so a gallon would hold about 50 bucks, 5 gallon buckets would hold 250 bucks...
now this isnt exact, my hald gallon containers might hold more BUT...i prefer nice round numbers i can add quickly. i like knowing how much is in a container so i count as i add pennies. i keep it written down on a piece of paper and once it hits 25, done! i take the paper out and put the container aside. every time i see a container without a piece of paper i know how much is in it.
i have a thing about counting. i sort and count. then sort the sorted just to make sure. then i recount all sorts. then after im happy with the numbers i add pennies to the right containers, zincs, 82's, pre 82's. i do all this as i go along so its not actually hard for me to do this. now if i just threw my pennies in a container and decided to count it AFTER it was full...i might not be likely to count them. |
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Frugi
Administrator
USA
627 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2006 : 18:54:54
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This isnt going to be much help but I couldnt resist.
I keep all my coins sorted in 5 gallon water jugs-I dont know how many are in there but getting one filled with copper pennies to about three inches from the top weighs over 100 lbs.--and is basicly not movable.
Good luck on the pennie hoard deal
Real Eyes Realize Real Lies |
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73 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2006 : 01:13:14
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Ok, I measured an unsorted pint on a scale accurate to 0.1 oz (which is around 3 grams) and it held 3 lb 14 oz.
So if you do the math 8 pints/gallon *40 gallons = 320 pints
Then 320 pints * 13 lbs 14 oz = 1240 lbs
In a random sample of my spare change (over perhaps the last5 year, so not a very old hoard, and would likely skew to zinc more so than if you know it was a hoard started 40 years ago), I got 168 pennies in 1 lb, 32% 1982 and earlier (didn't check the 82's), 68% 1983 or later.
That would make 40 gallons or approximately 1240 lbs carry around 208,000 pennies ($2080 face value). My experiment puts 1/2 gallon at $26 so close to what SmokeMoney says.
Not sure how you'd do it by volume...boxes, coin wrappers, and however else they're in there guessing 40 gallon container will skew the pennies per pound ratio as the shape of objects will make the volume of space pennies use to occupy it go way down...I'd guess quite significantly as 40 gallons of individual pennies can pack more closely together than other shapes. Then even if you weigh it instead of guessing volume, you'll want go guess how many wrappers are in there and how much the boxes weight (and you need to know what the 40 gallon container weighs when it is empty).
Volume would be very easy if they were all individual pennies, otherwise it's very hard to tell based on how you said it was packed. |
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LarryB
New Member
Canada
24 Posts |
 Posted - 01/18/2007 : 21:40:54
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Man, as I was readin' this post I got a wild news flash. O.K. so it's a wee bit off the wall mayhaps, but I could come down there and take care of all that counting for ya and I might as well bring my bud down, who loves to work for free, so's we can also, sort them suckers into the different vintages and oddities,rare ones, possibly priceless ones etc.etc. Him & me workin' together on a worthwhile project has been described by some pretty impressed folk, as watchin' a well oiled machine.
What would all this cost you buddy Buell? Well now, we could all make out well if you could agree to say 3 or 4 % of what it all turns into when we get finished.  Which brings up another teensy point. Just how long this machine-like team would take to do the job and do it good? Well now, seeing as yer lookin' at about 40 gallons, that's 1 gal. per day, times the 40 big heavy jars and that works out to about 40 days, a little over a month. O.K. I got it, me and bud will need to take about ten days off to try and re-coup after all that currency handlin' and all so, we'd just call those 10 days vacation sos's you'd only owe us fer the 30 days actually. Sompin' 2 chew on anyways Buell! Oh ya, are there any fun lovin' dates down yer way pardner? And I hope ya ain't too far from the Goovernmonts dispensory 4 liquid lunches etc etc right? Ya, 'cause me and my good bud Studdly here, like to carowzzz about every second or third night just ta keep in shape fer all this piece work and stuff.  Let me know if ya ever get yer problemo solved or if you want to talk about my plan...
Thx for readin everyone. Hope ya'll get a charge from readin' like I did from writing it. Just a touch of Kanuk humor there for a spell...
Have a real ggod one,
LarryB
Gettin' Rich... Slowly
LarryB |
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LarryB
New Member
Canada
24 Posts |
Posted - 01/18/2007 : 21:54:07
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quote:
Originally posted by LarryB
Man, as I was readin' this post I got a wild news flash. O.K. so it's a wee bit off the wall mayhaps, but I could come down there and take care of all that counting for ya and I might as well bring my bud down, who loves to work for free, so's we can also, sort them suckers into the different vintages and oddities,rare ones, possibly priceless ones etc.etc. Him & me workin' together on a worthwhile project has been described by some pretty impressed folk, as watchin' a well oiled machine.
What would all this cost you buddy Buell? Well now, we could all make out well if you could agree to say 3 or 4 % of what it all turns into when we get finished. Which brings up another teensy point. Just how long this machine-like team would take to do the job and do it good? Well now, seeing as yer lookin' at about 40 gallons, that's 1 gal. per day, times the 40 big heavy jars and that works out to about 40 days, a little over a month. O.K. I got it, me and bud will need to take about ten days off to try and re-coup after all that currency handlin' and all so, we'd just call those 10 days vacation sos's you'd only owe us fer the 30 days actually. Sompin' 2 chew on anyways Buell! Oh ya, are there any fun lovin' dates down yer way pardner? And I hope ya ain't too far from the Goovernmonts dispensory 4 liquid lunches etc etc right? Ya, 'cause me and my good bud Studdly here, like to carowzzz about every second or third night just ta keep in shape fer all this piece work and stuff. Let me know if ya ever get yer problemo solved or if you want to talk about my plan...
Thx for readin everyone. Hope ya'll get a charge from readin' like I did from writing it. Just a touch of Kanuk humor there for a spell...
Have a real good one,
Gettin' Rich... Slowly
LarryB
Gettin' Rich... Slowly
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just carl
Penny Hoarding Member
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 01/19/2007 : 18:09:48
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Pending just how acurate the owner wants you to be the best idea was actually put coins in a half gallon container and count them. As noted about $25 in each. You should check his results yourself first naturally. Ask the owner of the coins ifhe is willing to let you show him a sample count in the half gallon containers. Naturally the amount would vary somewhat due to how the coins lay in the container, the amount of wear on the coins, if you bounce them as you put them in, etc. However, as an overall you should get within reason. If you want to be fair then after the total has been estimated, make an offer of about 1/3rd more. Example is if you end up with $100 face value, offer about $133. I've done a rather similar thing once only I had to sit and count out the cents. I started out putting a stack of 10 down and then just constantly stacking cents next to that with the tops about the same. Ended up with about $35 in face so I offered $50. About $10 in face were Indian Cents so I made out really, really well.
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coincollector101
Penny Sorter Member
86 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2007 : 17:26:18
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:o:o Nice Carl
About $10 in face were Indian Cents so I made out really, really well.
yea you did very Well Ive only ever Found 2 in my life..
Cc |
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HoardCopperByTheTon
Administrator
USA
6807 Posts |
Posted - 10/17/2007 : 20:00:20
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For rough figuring by volume I use about the same figures as smokemonkey. 1 Gallon is about a bag so 5 gallons is about $250 face. This will get you pretty close. OF course the amount a container will hold depends on how the pennies are laying in there. Have you ever noticed that a box of pennies holds $25 when they are nicely rolled but only about $20-21 when you toss them in the box loose. Weight is another good way to measure. Figure 150 pennies per pound for copper pennies or 160 pennies per pound for mixed. You just take them all out of the various containers and weigh them by the bucketload. Don't forget to subtract the tare weight of the bucket. Usually what I do if buying pennies by weight or volume is offer to true up the transaction once I run them through one of my counters. If you live in Northern CA I have a counter that sorts/counts 4000 coins per minute you are welcome to use. We could saw through 40 gallons of pennies in about an hour. I also have one of those Great Ryedale machines that sorts the copper from the zinc. If you want to get one of those you can go to the website at You must be logged in to see this link. You can probably also find a link to his site in the Buy/Sell/Trade section of this forum. Those machines are great. I highly recommend getting one if you are going to be sorting 40 bags of pennies.
If your percentages are low.. just sort more.
"Preserving REAL coinage.. 2 tons at a time... and FAKE coinage.. a quarter ton at a time.. just for speculation"
HoardCode0.1:M49/15USCA:US1Cu661200(60000 Reserved):US1Zi150000:US5Ni9500:CA5Ni1150 |
Edited by - HoardCopperByTheTon on 10/17/2007 20:06:59 |
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Penny counting by Volume??
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