Pennies
I was cleaning out closets today and I have @80lbs. of pennies in various cans. Anybody know @ how many per lb, would my bank take them, and if not, how to turn them into paper money? Do I have to hand count all these things? I know it's not a fortune, but they need to turn into a new rod and/or reel, ammo, boots, whatever.
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You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about.
Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home.
My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the water-way, and cars costing more than her house.
The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely.
As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment.
Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny.
He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up?
Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She causally mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value.
A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this?
"Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words "United States of America."
"No, not that; read further."
"One cent?" "No, keep reading."
"In God we Trust?" "Yes!" "And?"
"And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful!
When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I can not change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message.
It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful!
And, God is patient...
Have a blessed day!!
~ Author Unknown ~
SIG pistol armorer/FFL Dealer/Full time Peace Officer, Moderator of General Discussion Board on Gunbroker. Visit www.gunbroker.com, the best gun auction site on the Net! Email davidnunn@texoma.net0 -
DAK, almost all banks have automatic change counters.collect them take them in and change it in to green paper [:p]..ie new fishing rod..Loko[8D] 0 -
Take them to the bank. They have those coin counting machines. Just takes minutes. You usually have to have an account there tho... 0 -
120$ give or take 0 -
1982, the US penny became about 0.6 gram lighter. The older coin was 95% copper and 5% zinc, while the new one is essentially copper-plated zinc (97.6% zinc and only 2.4% copper). The nominal mass of a penny before 1982 was 48 grains (about 3.11 g). The size of a penny changed very little (-0.84%) in 1982 but, because zinc is lighter than copper, the new coin's nominal mass is 2.5 g.
The price of copper had risen to $1.33 per pound in 1980, so pennies could not be minted for less than their monetary value. Copper-plated coins postponed the crisis (in 2000, it cost 0.81? to mint a penny).
Before 1982, there was about 146 pennies in a pound... If all the pre-1982 pennies were out of circulation, there would be about 181 pennies to the pound.
Right now, a pound of pennies from the street will contain anywhere between 146 and 181 pennies, depending on the percentage of pre-1982 pennies in it. According to the US Mint, the approximate life span of a coin is about 25 years. If we take this number at face value, there remains in circulation today (November 2000; 18 years later) approximately exp(-18/25), or about 48.7% of the pennies that were in circulation in November 1982.
Assuming that the total number of pennies in circulation is the same today as it was in 1982 (which is probably not quite true), this would mean that a penny's mass in grams averages about 3.11(0.487)+2.5(1-0.487) which is very close to 2.8 g, so that there would be just about 162 pennies in a pound as of November 2000
US Mint0 -
tobefree: same website i used for my estimate [:D] 0 -
Thanks guys. Though I've never noticed one, the counting machine at the bank is the way I'll go. If I had to count the damn things I was going to give them to the neighbors kid. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by RustyBones
tobefree: same website i used for my estimate [:D]
"Jim..... I never Estimate", .....Spock!!!0 -
Don't be surprised if the tellers give you a little bit of a look with that many pennies. But they will get over it. Dont use those coin machines that they have in grocery stores (looks like a vending machine). Some of those things charge like 10 percent.... 0 -
Take a couple pounds at a time to the bank,
and they won't be so upset.
How long have you had them in the closet?
If there are any "Wheat Pennies" they might
be worth 5 cents a piece.
Fact is the US never minted any "pennies".
Take a look they are "Cents"0 -
You should save the pre-1982 pennies, they are worth about 2.5 cents and will only continue to rise over the long run. Coinflation.com shows the current value of coins. 0
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