Thread: Copper Bullion

Does anyone have interest in Copper Bullion or already collect?

Do you feel that this could be a low cost barter coin if our paper goes belly up?

I have seen local communities in the east start their own currency already (i.e. townships and counties), which is 100% legal. The US allows the manufacturing and use of custom currency for anything which is not a Dept...

I am in the air on this one, but the cost is so low... Sort of thinking about it?

I just can't get over buying it instead of silver. I realize it's got value that could rise exponentially, but why not buy a roll of pre-65 dimes instead. Small enough to trade and light enough to carry in your pocket. However, it does seem like buying a few bars to just tuck away couldn't hurt. Crap I was trying to talk you out of it and now I'm talking myself into it! Just don't pay a stupid premium for it being bullion. You should still be able to buy just above market value.

Copper is for use in manufacturing, not a precious metal. If the economy crashes, I don't see a lot of value in copper.

I'm sure you know that the mint stopped making pennies out of copper after 1982. They are now 98% zinc with copper plating. Zinc is worth a fraction of copper. Up until 1982, they were about 99% copper. The commodities market is all over the place right now, and the copper in a real copper penny has been worth between 1.5 and 2 cents lately.

If you're after copper, used copper pipe from demolition would be a source.

At $4/pound you have to collect 425 pounds of copper to equal the value in 1 ounce of gold (assuming $1700/ounce) or 10 pounds to equal the value in one ounce of silver (at $40/ounce). That's a lot of copper to collect and store.

Ask yourself, if you are bartering, would you prefer to tote around 11,100 pre 1982 copper pennies or a roll of 40 pre 1965 silver quarters? Both have around the same intrinsic value.

Copper, silver, or a doorknob. Anything real. Nothing tied to paper or digits in a computer. They will go 'poof.' If you feel comfortable with copper, go for it.

Yes

I collect copper but it is wrapped around lead and usually has some brass holding it in place.

Originally Posted by Camtender

Copper pennies offer copper @65% discount. Can you buy gold or silver at a 65% discount? As the cost of energy goes up, the cost to mine copper or any other element for that matter goes up or stops being mined. 147 copper pennies is a pound, therefore if copper is $4 a pound, $1.47 = $4.00.

Safest way to save money, they can never be worth less than face value.

How much work is it to dig through a lot of pennies to find 147 pre-82's?

solid copper boolets have excelent value

Originally Posted by kenno

solid copper boolets have excelent value

I'd kill for some of those, LOL. JOKING

Originally Posted by Camtender

Copper pennies offer copper @65% discount. Can you buy gold or silver at a 65% discount? As the cost of energy goes up, the cost to mine copper or any other element for that matter goes up or stops being mined. 147 copper pennies is a pound, therefore if copper is $4 a pound, $1.47 = $4.00.

Safest way to save money, they can never be worth less than face value.

Well the problem with this math is that only pre 82 pennies have a significant amount of copper. Plus there is the fact that this is only 95% copper, so the $4/lb price (for pure copper) is not valid, and the price its really worth is going be to well below scrap copper prices. (Unless you have the ability to smelt, or find a scrap dealer that is actually willing to pay 95% of scrap price)

Yes

Originally Posted by Gunner3456

How much work is it to dig through a lot of pennies to find 147 pre-82's?

Not much when you have a machine that sorts 18,000 pennies an hour with approx. 20% of circulated pennies being copper.

OK, when you get your pennies melted down and the zinc refined from the copper, and you have 100 pounds of pure copper worth at most $350 wholesale, post a pic.

I think you'd do better with a part time job, and spend all of your take-home on silver dimes.

Maybe.

Originally Posted by Camtender

Or just sell them for 100% margin before fees


10,000 95% Copper bullion pennies 68.56 lbs = $280.00 | eBay

I guess your time isn't worth as much as mine. Lordy, the work of separating 10,000 pennies, the time it takes to list them, then prepare for shipping and go to the PO...

Made $100!!!

Originally Posted by Camtender

Or just sell them for 100% margin before fees


10,000 95% Copper bullion pennies 68.56 lbs = $280.00 | eBay

Hopefully you will take that fiat you just made and use it to buy PMs.

I believe it is illegal to melt any US Currency, not just pennies. So junk silver coins, even though many of them have been melted, nonetheless are illegal to melt.

I wouldn't melt silver coins anyway unless I had a jewelry hobby or something. The coin proves it's real.

collection copper, while currently in the 3-4$ range, might not be a great idea, FMJ bullets, even good plated bullets could be a good investment. Less than 8 yrs ago, 230gr,.451 (45acp) projectiles where in the $55-85range. today the least expensive I have found is $115 going to over $200. Plus if you reload, having 10K of you favorites is always useful..