Tips For SORTING Pennies Dated BEFORE 1983! [Copper Penny Sorting 101]
Wondering how you should be SORTING pennies as you’re trying to find the most valuable ones? Watch how I sort PENNIES!
I’ve been saving copper pennies in a coffee can for 3+ years now. Why? Because copper pennies (Lincoln cents from 1982 and earlier) are worth 2x face value! I always sort my pennies into piles – so I can go through them later to search for copper pennies with errors or varieties that make them even MORE valuable.
I always sort my pennies into piles – so I can go through them later to search for copper pennies with errors or varieties that make them even MORE valuable.
These are the piles I use:
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- Copper pennies I haven’t go gone through yet (to look for obvious errors and key dates)
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- Copper pennies I’ve gone through but found nothing of obvious valuable at first glance
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- Uncirculated copper pennies (they’re worth 5-10 cents each!)
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- Copper pennies that could contain errors (specific dates… for example 1972 was a very good year for doubled dies, 1959-s pennies, 1960 “small date” varieties).
I will need to use a 5x magnifying glass or coin loupe to research these pennies further. I do this every 3 years or so with the copper pennies I save up. It’s a relatively profitable task – searching for copper pennies in your pocket change or coin roll hunting.
Playlist:
Valuable PENNIES
I’m the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century.
I’m a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I’m also the editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I’ve contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek.
I’ve authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!