Copper prospecting??

[KENKEN]

I've been doing it for sometime now. A lot easier than silver since you get greater % of return. Anyone else doing it? if so do you have any pointers to increase ur return?

[ME Co.]

I've been doing it for sometime now. A lot easier than silver since you get greater % of return. Anyone else doing it? if so do you have any pointers to increase ur return?

I don't do it anymore since I started the silver mine but as for pointers- the more you sort the more you find, same as silver. HH Mark

[Fiat Metaler]

its a lot easier if you have a ryedale coin sorter. not cheap but very effective.

there is an entire forum of penny sorters at realcent.

[TylerDurden]

I've been doing it for sometime now. A lot easier than silver since you get greater % of return. Anyone else doing it? if so do you have any pointers to increase ur return?

How many coins are you looking to accumulate? If you want to do this on a very large scale, I'd take Fiat Metaler's advice and pick up a Ryedale. If you're going smaller, I'd look into getting a cheaper sorter. I found one on Ebay for about $50 (after rebates) that works just fine for me. I went from hand sorting about 10 rolls an hour to being able to get through an entire box in that amount of time. And I don't have a headache from straining my eyes when I'm done.

[charlie1023]

I sort everyweek as I have switched from the silver that has dried up in my area over to copper. I dont use a sorter and do it by hand as I do keep an eye out for those key dates, wheaties, VDB's etc. Copper is the main goal but I enjoy looking for the occasional rarity and once in a while you get someones bank dump from years of grannies hoarding that leads to some nice hauls. I only recently picked up a box from my usual bank that they had held for me from a customer turning in their pennies. I took it half expecting it to be sorted already and after the first 5 rolls were all 2010's I was going to lose hope. I proceeded to continue and over the remaining 45 rolls I scored the mother load and ended up with only 15 pennies that were post 82 zincs, the rest were all coppers. That was a great day! Keep up the search Kenken.

PS. Ok, I am a weak individual, I still ocasionally get a couple of boxes of halves hoping to find the glorious silvers that have eluded me recently...yes i collect it all!

[TylerDurden]

I sort everyweek as I have switched from the silver that has dried up in my area over to copper. I dont use a sorter and do it by hand as I do keep an eye out for those key dates, wheaties, VDB's etc. Copper is the main goal but I enjoy looking for the occasional rarity and once in a while you get someones bank dump from years of grannies hoarding that leads to some nice hauls.

If you use a sorter and you're still interested in searching for key dates you can always just go through the copper ones after you're done. Actually, it'll make that even easier because usually you'll have eliminated the newer pennies that make up the majority of the rolls.

Copper is the main goal but I enjoy looking for the occasional rarity and once in a while you get someones bank dump from years of grannies hoarding that leads to some nice hauls. I only recently picked up a box from my usual bank that they had held for me from a customer turning in their pennies. I took it half expecting it to be sorted already and after the first 5 rolls were all 2010's I was going to lose hope. I proceeded to continue and over the remaining 45 rolls I scored the mother load and ended up with only 15 pennies that were post 82 zincs, the rest were all coppers. That was a great day! Keep up the search Kenken.

That's awesome! The 2 banks that I pick up rolls from have gotten used to me coming in and they'll give me any rolls they get from customers first since those usually have more coppers in them.

[charlie1023]

If you use a sorter and you're still interested in searching for key dates you can always just go through the copper ones after you're done. Actually, it'll make that even easier because usually you'll have eliminated the newer pennies that make up the majority of the rolls.



That's awesome! The 2 banks that I pick up rolls from have gotten used to me coming in and they'll give me any rolls they get from customers first since those usually have more coppers in them.

Thats so true! Its all about setting up the relationship with the tellers and the supervisor so that they automatically keep you in mind. It really makes it easier and more lucrative and requires a token gift during the holidays as a thank you to keep the good stuff coming. Good idea about looking for the key coins after they have sorted thru the machine though I do worry about scuffing the coins as I have picked up several mint state pennies over time that are pre82 and just in incredible condition, like they were put into a roll and forgotten. I always try to preserve those whenever possible and worry using a sorter will scuff them up a bit.

[KENKEN]

Thanks for the reply guys.

I don't think I'm serious enough to get a copper machine. Really only getting about a buck or two a day in copper pennies.

[__hoot__]

There have been several 500-10,000 pounders found up the East Branch of the Ontonogan and up around the big fissure at Houghton, rumors of 30 ton nuggets found recovered and sold on the black market from off-shore........................or am I in the wrong thread???????

[__hoot__]

No kidding guys, there are TON copper nuggets to be found yet in the U.P.

[Argentum47]

I have been doing it in the UK for a while now, with the pre 1992, 1 & 2 pence pieces.

My best returns are when I take the kids to the arcade. The 2p change machines there have so much old coinage in them.

[Chester-Copperpot]

Thinking about getting a Ryedale machine to sort pennies. What do you guys recommend for rolling the pennies quickly? Do you have to return them rolled to the banks?

[samwiii]

If the bank you return your coins to has a machine, they will not want them rolled and if they are, they will just have to reopen them to run through the machine. Some smaller banks that don't have a coin machine may prefer them rolled. They may be good places to obtain your rolls, especially if you can get some customer rolled coins. Then find yourself a bank that does have a coin counter and make that the bank you return your coins to; it will save you a ton of time, effort, and money being able to just bring in a big ole bag of zinc pennies to deposit.

[PhucilliJerry]

Thinking about getting a Ryedale machine to sort pennies. What do you guys recommend for rolling the pennies quickly? Do you have to return them rolled to the banks?

Samwii is right, don't roll em if you don't have to. If you have a TD bank near you they have the penny arcade at some branches which is free for account holders, $100 minimum checking balance to avoid fees.

[Argentium]

No kidding guys, there are TON copper nuggets to be found yet in the U.P.

True. I've spent a fair amount of time in Copper Country in the UP. I've never looked for copper there, but there are places where you can rent metal detectors. I've never done it, but I assume you go over old mine dumps? Some copper in the UP is mixed with native silver, "halfbreeds". I toured an old copper mine over by Ontanogon, very cool! Those old miners were tough SOB's, cutting copper out of basalt matrix with hand drills!

One day, I'm going back there. It's very nice in the Summer. Copper Harbor is a nice place to vacation and there are interesting things to do and see in the whole Peninsula.

[__hoot__]

True. I've spent a fair amount of time in Copper Country in the UP. I've never looked for copper there, but there are places where you can rent metal detectors. I've never done it, but I assume you go over old mine dumps? Some copper in the UP is mixed with native silver, "halfbreeds". I toured an old copper mine over by Ontanogon, very cool! Those old miners were tough SOB's, cutting copper out of basalt matrix with hand drills!

One day, I'm going back there. It's very nice in the Summer. Copper Harbor is a nice place to vacation and there are interesting things to do and see in the whole Peninsula.

The minedumps are picked out I'm afraid to say. I have been on dozens of them and unless the road commission guys have been in there picking up rock for the roads and stirring things up there is little to find now near to the surface. I* have a general idea where the glaciers may have deposited some bigger nuggets in the past as they moved over that area. You never know where you will find copper in the glacial drift. I found a beautiful 2 pound half breed copper/silver nugget once while metal detecting on a ridge a mile west of the Michigan gold mine 10 miles west of Marquette and this nugget must have been carried by the ice 35-40 miles from the source in copper country.[Note: they took in the 1800s 60 million dollars worth of gold{at $20 a ounce!}out of the Ropes Mine two miles east]

Would like to work over that country down drift from the old basalt ridge that carries the copper ore with some industrial metal detectors that they use to locate metal pipes etc. 5-10 feet down and see if I can find some BIG nuggets. My biggest so far is only eight pounds that I dug out of a solid rock wall near the old Nebraska Mine. SSE about five miles from that mine in the east branch of the Ontanogan River is where the five ton Ontanogan Nugget was found.

[Argentium]

A 5 TON nugget?! Wow. Is there a museum at the Univ. @ Houghton? It would be great if you'd post a photo of your halfbreed, that is a huge one. I've got a small collection of MI copper (all bought). The biggest piece I've got is a 6 pounder and the halfbreeds are all under an inch.

[__hoot__]

There is about a ton nugget on display next to the old mine on the ridge a mile north of Hancock across the fissure from Houghton. Heard that the UPPER's Museum west of Marquette now has on display the 30 ton one that got confiscated from those divers a few years ago................sorry I haven't got the art of picture posting down yet

[Unclad Lad]

I went from hand sorting about 10 rolls an hour to being able to get through an entire box in that amount of time. And I don't have a headache from straining my eyes when I'm done.

Did you ever play the drinking game "Quarters"? Try playing it with pennies, and without the cups of beer. Sitting at a table (wood is best), bounce those pennies; Lincoln's ring, and Zincoln's thud. A copper penny sounds much like today's quarters and dimes do.

On sound alone I can go through a lot more coins. There will be a few oddballs that sound like something in between (I have no idea why); just set them aside and sort them later. This system handles the 1982's perfectly.

Note: If there is another person in the room, it may make them want to strangle you. You've been warned.