Using pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters after SHTF - melted down for other purposes?

[The Heretic]

Forget the legality (illegal to use coins to sell for scrap) - ignore it - this is SHTF.
If you have a bunch of coins, what could you use them for, besides coinage?
Pennies are zinc, plated with copper - an alloy for casting bullets?
Nickels are nickel and 25% nickel, 75% copper - a cupronickel steel alloy? Bullet jackets?
Dimes 92% copper, 8% nickel.
Quarters - up to 1964 they were 90% silver, 10% copper, then 92% copper, 8% nickel.
What could you do with these metals if you had a small foundry?

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[Frank RW]

nothing. i know you said "besides coinage", but there's a lot of "SHTF" value in that.

the coins are likely worth more as they are than as scrap. i keep a few .999 silver rounds 'round in order to have some sort of currency if S ever does HTF.

sell them and add a new tool in the foundry.

 

[Longwalkhome]

Never really thought about this. As kids we used to love putting pennies on the railroad tracks as they flattened out really neat. So then it was nails and paper clips but we got in trouble when we put railroad spikes on the track.

You can do a lot with a nice flat piece of metal.

 

[gmerkt]

Pennies are zinc plated with copper - an alloy for casting bullets?

Since late 1982, the composition is the reverse, mostly zinc, trace of copper plating. Which are the pennies most widely in circulation. But possibly useful for bullet casting. I've fired pure zinc bullets in 10mm and .41 Mag with success. Some different techniques in loading are required.

Re. the modern clad coins and the nickels. Nickel melt point is something around 2,600 degrees and is hard, that's why it's used in modern coins, it won't wear out very fast. I'm not sure what use the average SHTF person might use the scrap nickel for. Copper, yes, but there are way easier sources of copper than melting it out of coins.

Silver coins, not much emergency use beyond their intrinsic value as a precious metal. BUT: In SHTF use, their utility as money might really shine.

In certain SHTF situations, current US coins might continue to be useful as money. In a severe deflationary situation such as detailed in the book, War Day, the value of coins wouldn't be as trivial as we now tend to view it.

I mostly use a credit card for normal commerce now. So I don't often get circulating coins in change. When I do, they tend to be a bother. Something to get lost or forgotten about. When I accumulate two or three dollar's worth, next time I'm at Fred Meyer, I give them over to the cashier at the beginning of the payout, then pay the balance with a credit card. Just to get my value out of them because I don't keep carrying them around with me.

 

[The Heretic]

Since late 1982, the composition is the reverse, mostly zinc, trace of copper plating. Which are the pennies most widely in circulation. But possibly useful for bullet casting. I've fired pure zinc bullets in 10mm and .41 Mag with success. Some different techniques in loading are required.

I meant, zinc, plated with copper - the difference a comma makes.

I mostly use a credit card for normal commerce now. So I don't often get circulating coins in change. When I do, they tend to be a bother. Something to get lost or forgotten about. When I accumulate two or three dollar's worth, next time I'm at Fred Meyer, I give them over to the cashier at the beginning of the payout, then pay the balance with a credit card. Just to get my value out of them because I don't keep carrying them around with me.

I use paper currency and a debit or credit card. I keep some quarters in the car for parking meters/etc.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Interesting topic, one I hadn't thought much about! I would think any value in the pocket change type coins will depend on any actual trade/exchange value they might hold, could be they become worthless, which is what I think will happen when the Stuff Hits the Fan!
Actual P.M.s will likely hold some value, but depressed, and how deeply depends on many factors that would be damn near impossable to predict. Out side of that, I cannot think of very many handy uses of coins in circulation, again, their value as money may be valid, may not! As far as melting them down and separating the alloys for other uses that's going to take time and potentially valuable resources beyond their value as secondary uses! Nickel can be useful, but damn hard to get enough to be workable!

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

In short term shtf, coins won't have much value, but they might have significant value in the long run. Paper money only lasts a year or two in circulation. After a little while, people are going to want a way to transfer capital other than trading goods. Using the existing coins is a logical path to take.

Aluminum cans, copper wires, lead weights and other less valuable commodities would probably be a better choice for melting down.

 

[Diamondback]

If you have a full roll of quarters, that's ten bucks in UNTRACEABLE cash in your hand.

 

[slimmer13]

When I run out of ammo, I'll flick pennies with my thumb and middle finger.

 

[Stomper]

If you have a full roll of quarters, that's ten bucks in UNTRACEABLE cash in your hand.

Nope…. Finger prints.

 

[Member 34319]

 

[Flopsweat]

nothing. i know you said "besides coinage", but there's a lot of "SHTF" value in that.

the coins are likely worth more as they are than as scrap. i keep a few .999 silver rounds 'round in order to have some sort of currency if S ever does HTF.

sell them and add a new tool in the foundry.

Meh, I'll bet toilet paper and ammo will hold value pretty well.

 

[Jonnyuma]

When I run out of ammo, I'll flick pennies with my thumb and middle finger.

I do that with bottle caps. Gonna suck when the beer runs out.
Damn...

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Old silver quarters and dimes make excellent front sights....
Andy

 

[Ura-Ki]

Ha, true Andy, forgot about that little trick!
I got a bunch of Rubbles which are mostly brass, those also make excellent sight blades, and can even be drilled and trimmed for a rear semi buckhorn. or notch!

 

[Flopsweat]

I do that with bottle caps. Gonna suck when the beer runs out.
Damn...

Oh, the beer is not running out. It may drop in quality and come in more ordinary containers, but it ain't running out.

 

[OldBroad44]

Back when pennies were mostly copper, we used to toss A couple of pennies into water baths in the lab. (Heated baths with thermostats into which you put your flasks of growing bacteria so as to control the temperature.) Without the pennies the water baths would grow algae and bacteria and need much more frequent cleaning. Algal and bacterial growth was inhibited by the tiny amounts of copper that dissolved from the coins.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Back when pennies were mostly copper, we used to toss A couple of pennies into water baths in the lab. (Heated baths with thermostats into which you put your flasks of growing bacteria so as to control the temperature.) Without the pennies the water baths would grow algae and bacteria and need much more frequent cleaning. Algal and bacterial growth was inhibited by the tiny amounts of copper that dissolved from the coins.

Same reason ships used to copper sheath the hulls, nothing will grow on them! Fun fact, once the copper oxidized and turned blue/green, the ships went a little faster, it's the golf ball theory!

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

If you have a full roll of quarters, that's ten bucks in UNTRACEABLE cash in your hand.

Untraceable you say...

 

[Knobgoblin]

Close range blunderbuss and black powder cannon anti personnel loads.

Mix of change jar , junk drawer and bent nails won't fly far ,or with much accuracy. But I wouldn't want to be on the recieving end.