Found clad and zinc pennies

[mwaynebennett]

OK, so now that I have found all this highly corroded money, what do I do with it? Some of the zinc pennies don't resemble pennies any longer, having large pieces missing and bubbled surfaces etc. Most of the clad is very dark and not obviously recognizable as money. Some of the dimes are very thin and orange/red in color due, I suppose, to a total loss of the outer layer of metal.

Do I invest more time and effort in trying to clean these so I can spend them, or do I try to spend them as they are, or do I drill holes through their centers and use them for washers?

Mark
Elite 2200

 

[bossman]

Take them to coin star and dump them in. They charge like 8 cents per dollar , but you get real money for them.

 

[GoGoGopher]

Prolly will not make it through Coin Star machine....Let them soak in bucket of water/bleach, or water and Dawn (dish soap)...Clean em as best you can, and see if your bank will take them...By law, they must take any coin that can be IDed as US currency...They will try to give you a hard time, but if you take them to a bank you have an account with, just threaten to change banks. This usually gets their attention...

HH,

 

[mwaynebennett]

That sounds like a lot of work for $5 worth of change. I think I'll make them into washers.

Thanks,

Mark
elite 2200

 

[dave5710]

I was taught to never drill into a nickel. Coin star in an option. Vending machines is another. I didn't buy postage stamps for several years at the window, I just used the little dispenser in the lobby.

Save all your coins from your day to day transactions, and toss some of these into the mix. When you fill a coffee can or a fruit jar just take them to your bank. I also toss them into collection canisters for

causes I want to support. They will end up in a big bucket eventually and no one will pay any attention.

By the way, if you ever walk past a Coin star machine check the coin return slot. I have found silver coins in these. The old machines with the coin return on the side, would reject silver coins. I'm not sure if

the new machines which have the coin return on the front will reject them or not. I even heard of a guy finding a British gold coin this way.

Some people use a rock tumbler to clean their coins, but when you consider the time, effort, supplies/chemicals, electricity and original cost of the machine, I don't see where it pays off.

Take care, Dave

 

[TABAGO]

well i use a tumbler an my coins look like new most of the time I'm simi retired an have the time to do the cleaning, an beside it's part of the fun of the hunt,and if they are clean coin star will take about 99 percent of the coins even the zinc pennies, heres what I do,, when I get home with the goodies, i soak them about 4hours in a home made solouition then when i get a bunch of coins I put them in a tumbler for about 4 to ten hours the silver shines an the pennys shin al so then zinc pennies are ruff some times but still shin an the coin star will take them the one's it kicks out i jus put them back in some times 3 or 4 times but out of about 5 dollors worth i may get 5 or 6 it just won't take those i keep any way, also i seperate the copper peennies from the zinc ones zinc started in 1982 some 1982 are still copper you have weigh them copper pennies weight at 3.0 to 3.1 grams an zinc pennies weight 2.5 grams I keep all the coppers pennies i have about 2000 0f them now also wheat pennies go ion another can, you can purchase a 2 barrel tumbler at harbor fright fo about $ 30.00 on sale when I tumbler the coins I use pee gravel 1/8 inch size or aquairm gravel plane type
al so I use tide liquid laundry detergent as it is low sudsing an water an change the soap about twice.
the tumbler from harbor fright has rubber barells they have a tency to turn the coins black, to fix that problem I cut a plactic coffee container to line the tumbler an al so both ends that keeps the coins from turning black in color, and never never!!! mix clad coins with pennies or they turn copper color that gose al so for pre soaking!!
what I found for pre soaking is to mix 1 cup of mr clean with one cup of amoina an 1 cup of water this al so works very well on rings an other julery but remeber to seperate the pennies an silver
as for as the cost an time you won't come out , but in about 6 or seve years you may brake even lol Me i find about $100.00 to $150.00 in coins a year i have about 5 years to brake even, But thats not the point, the point is the fun,,, of the find if you fig all the hours of fun you have doing this its very cheap entertainment, an i mite add that my wife loves to go along on my hunts and we spend a lot of time together,, now thats what it's all about