Realcent.org

Glad to hear there's a little more interest here. I just noticed copper's higher than it has been in many years. I haven't sorted in years but it would be fun to try again. The idea of going through a $50 bag sounds very fun and nostalgic to me right now. I have no idea if I could still get coins...

At $4.43 per lb for copper the melt value on a copper cent is real close to 3 cents, 2.93 cents to be exact! What is the highest melt value that a copper cent has ever been?

TXSTARFIRE wrote:At $4.43 per lb for copper the melt value on a copper cent is real close to 3 cents, 2.93 cents to be exact! What is the highest melt value that a copper cent has ever been?

In 2011, copper prices were a bit higher than the current $4.40/lb. I think $4.50 or $4.60 at one point or another that year. Then the descent to below $2 (in early 2016) began. Nice recovery since! I imagine it'll break through $4.50 soon...

wow, copper was under $3 beginning of April and trading now for $4.43...10 yrs ago it was $4.50 pound and some of us were selling the Cu cents for just over 2 cents apiece! Happy Days then and maybe tomorrow again!

Kitco says that copper hasn’t been this high since 2011. That was also the year silver got really close to the magic $50 threshold.

Recyclersteve wrote:Kitco says that copper hasn’t been this high since 2011. That was also the year silver got really close to the magic $50 threshold.

Copper futures went a bit over $4.50/lb during late night (Asian) trading hours! So at or near all-time high. But silver is, what... 50% below the 2011 high? Very interesting...

Copper is almost $4.5/lb, and US copper cents are also approaching 3cents a piece!!!

I have buckets of unsorted (i.e. foreign and older coins are in there). That i'd be willing to hand these off by weight at this point for 2cents a piece. Takes so much time to hand sort...

300.24% of face value now

I’m curious about something. If I wanted to trade my common date average circulated wheat cents (no uglies or mutilated coins) for copper cents from 1959-81, what would be a fair trade (forget about freight). How many coppers would I get per wheat cent? Feel free to use whatever fractions you think are appropriate.

Do you search for die varieties in the wheat cents?

Today...

$0.0302785 is the melt value for the 1909-1982 copper cent

A US Nickel is worth just over 6 cents today.

And a Canadian.999 nickel is worth 8.1 cents per coinflation.com.

$.031 melt value per cent!

willy13 wrote:$.031 melt value per cent!

So copper cents metal value today is 310% of face value.

Nickels have a metal value 127% of face value.

Even Zinc at $1.60 per pound makes a zinc cent metal value worth face value.

Doesn't the Irish blessing include, "May you live in interesting times?"

coppernickel wrote:

willy13 wrote:$.031 melt value per cent!

So copper cents metal value today is 310% of face value.

Nickels have a metal value 127% of face value.

Even Zinc at $1.60 per pound makes a zinc cent metal value worth face value.

Doesn't the Irish blessing include, "May you live in interesting times?"

Post 1982 Zincoln's are now equal to their face value! Even I'm surprised that happened so quickly.

F yeah, interesting times indeed. Times are going to get even more interesting, and more dangerous.

Also, I implore you to buy a few cases of the most popular calibers of ammo (9mm, .40, .223, 7.62, .45) even if you don't have the gun for it. Please do it right now while it's readily available.

Recyclersteve wrote:And a Canadian.999 nickel is worth 8.1 cents per coinflation.com.

Now the Canadian.999 nickels are worth slightly over 9 cents each!

Recyclersteve wrote:

Recyclersteve wrote:And a Canadian.999 nickel is worth 8.1 cents per coinflation.com.

Now the Canadian.999 nickels are worth slightly over 9 cents each!

Buckets are full

Hi guys. I've been a member here for years and rarely look at the site. I've got a sentimental attraction to coins from a child. 60 y/o now. My brother and I collected silver and pennies from change, filled a lot of the Whitman folders. Bought the rest later as an adult. Still have them. Finished the Lincoln cents, still missing that 1916 D Mercury dime.

Several years I was buying bulk pennies for 1.5 x face from an old guy at the flea market. He passed away a while back. Got over $1000 face of copper cents. My wife came across them in the garage the other day and asked what was I going to do with them. I said, Save them of course. She's pretty good to me so she doesn't really mind. What I am waiting for is the US gov't to allow them to be melted and we can sell them off as bulk copper. The same thing happened to silver in the 1960s. At first you couldn't sell them for melt value. In the great silver price run up (Hunt Brothers) the coin shops were buying silver coins hand over fist from the public. I've heard from some of those guys that were in business back then and they said at first they tried to save back the numismatic stuff, but eventually after working a 12 hour day behind the counter, they just let it all go for melt.

So eventually, pennies will have to have the melt ban lifted. It's just inevitable. Inflation. When I was a kid we had five and dime stores, now we have dollar stores and the packaging keeps getting smaller and smaller. At least when I was a kid you could buy a penny gumball, now I can't think of a single thing you could actually buy with a U.S. coin.

Sorry for that long rambling story. I hope maybe that entertains some youngsters that might be reading this.

I am again buying if anyone wants to unload the hoard!

I'm working on getting my hoard sale ready. It is not as easy a process as I thought it would be. Between aches I didn't know one could get from leaning over a table for hours, to what could be early arthritis in my hands... The worst things to sort for IMHO are the rare zincs and foreign. I also really regret not having a coin counter for the counting part. And then there's the packaging and going to the Post Office.

highroller4321 wrote:I am again buying if anyone wants to unload the hoard!

What are you paying?

Copper is spiking again. There were two spikes last year, each of which brought the price up to $4.80. This current spike has it at 4.71 a pound. We could break 4.80 tomorrow. Might we see FIVE? Current melt is 3.13 x face.

Silver4face wrote:Copper is spiking again. There were two spikes last year, each of which brought the price up to $4.80. This current spike has it at 4.71 a pound. We could break 4.80 tomorrow. Might we see FIVE? Current melt is 3.13 x face.

Cu is right on the verge of a breakout to all time highs...

https://finviz.com/futures_charts.ashx?t=HG&p=m1