2,000,000 Cents searched

[Rosco53]

Just searched my 2,000,000th cent. Or, at least, the bag containing it. In those 2 mill, I've pulled:

19 Indian Heads: average 1/105,421 cents, though 6 were in only 2 bags so it could be closer to 1/133,533). Went through an 800k cent dry spell, and last was found 230k cents ago
7 Steelies: 1/286,142 cents, tellers pulled 2 more for me and cashier at work pulled me another
71 Proofs: 1/28,211, but I found a dump with every memorial proof in 1 bag so that throws off the average...
9333 Wheats: average 23 a bag, but median is 18 (allowing for the few dumps I've found). Record is 474 in one bag.
2 blank planchets
1 magician's coin
Will admit, stopped looking for most errors about a year ago, just don't really care about them. If I see a blatant cud or clip or something I'll still set it aside, but no longer microscoping all the key dates hoping for a DDO or something.

Foreign Coins: 26 Different "countries"
4,550 Canadians-average is 11 a bag, pulled about 80 George VI and 7 George V
20 Bahamas
14 Panama
6 Bermuda
4 Spain
3 Barbados
3 Australia
3 Norway
2 Germany
2 Nazi Germany
2 Jamaica
1 Philippines
1 Slovakia
1 Czechoslovakia
1 New Zealand
1 France
1 Brazil
1 Turkey
1 Singapore
1 Korea
1 Switzerland
1 Iceland
1 Mexico
1 Austria
1 Bulgaria
1 Poland

Now for the sad stat: 3,257. That's how many cents I've averaged per day since I began this hobby back on 3.15.2018 (615 days ago). Not to mention the 800k or so in nickels/dimes/quarters and halves since then as well. I searched my 1,000,000th cent on 2.8.19, so the last million only took 285 days, so I averaged 3,508 a day. Which is actually skewed, considering I spent 5 weeks on the road for work and another 2 weeks on vacation in that stretch. So figure closer to 3,891 a day when searching. I may need a life... Well, onto the rest of my bags! Happy Hunting Everyone!

 

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[baddbluff]

Wow $20,000 in pennies- that’s a lot of cents!
Serious dedication!!!! Props.

 

[ARC]

Wow $20,000 in pennies- that’s a lot of cents!
Serious dedication!!!! Props.

Agreed.

 

[Dozer D]

This hobby really MAKES CENTS. You've gone a long way since starting not too long ago, March 2018, congrats.

 

[Megalodon]

That's a nice milestone. Thanks for sharing your excellent records and notes. Have you found that the averages are meaningful in describing how you hunt cents? What I mean is, do you search ~4k cents every night, or is it more episodic with large numbers searched a few days per week?

 

[Rosco53]

That's a nice milestone. Thanks for sharing your excellent records and notes. Have you found that the averages are meaningful in describing how you hunt cents? What I mean is, do you search ~4k cents every night, or is it more episodic with large numbers searched a few days per week?

Little bit of both, really depends on work. If I work late, won't really do many, if I get off earlier I may go through a bag or so. Day off I can go through 3-4 bags without really thinking about it, just kinda zone out... I really just rifle through, if I see anything not indicating wheat or other (memorial, seal, date after 58, etc), I toss it aside. Foreign or 58 & older only :-p I can go through a bag in about 1:30 or so...

 

[Uncleslick18]

Nice rosco! I’ve fallen way behind. Since I started primarily searching bags, my wheat funds have dropped off significantly. The boxes have definitely yielded better for me. Awesome finds

 

[RTR]

Wow,my eyes hurt just thinking about it.

 

[Megalodon]

I think the relatively low number of steel cents is the result of magnets in the coin machines. Without magnets, I believe your steel cent number would be much higher. I don't even hunt cents, but have found 6 steel cents this year on the magnets and reject trays.

Going through 2M cents takes great patience. Having seen you hunt small fossil shark teeth, I can attest to your patience first-hand!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

 

[Uncleslick18]

The steel cents are very low because of magnets. The only two I have found this year were from finger sweeping off the magnets on the coin machines at my dump banks. I haven’t found one in a box or bag yet

 

[NSR60]

I'm just now finding this thread. Kudos on going through the equivalent of 800 boxes, or 400 $50 bags!

Your numbers are in line with estimates I've seen of one Indian Head every 40 boxes. I haven't pulled one yet, but I got an 1896 in change from a Chinese restaurant a few years ago.

I can hardly imagine it, but you're closing in on four full boxes of wheats (potentially an extra $1000.00 on eBay) and two boxes of Canadians. The Canadians are likely worth a premium, since they've effectively been demonetized.

From my much smaller sample size, I've pulled a Belgian coin and a 2-cent Euro, along with two S-mint proofs (1968 and 1986). The only error of note was a copper with the last digit missing from the date (these are not considered rare). I check the 1992's for the close AM, but so far no luck.

You're probably up to 2.5 million cents by now. Continued happy hunting!

 

[A2coins]

That's awesome and alot of work

 

[Guardrailnickel]

Rosco what is your ultimate goal, a 43 copper? 2 Million penny's? You have an obsession! Good luck in your quest, for that one rare penny you seek, whatever it may be.

 

[Rosco53]

Rosco what is your ultimate goal, a 43 copper? 2 Million penny's? You have an obsession! Good luck in your quest, for that one rare penny you seek, whatever it may be.

Don't really have a goal. This is more just a way to kill time. Would like to pluck the entire cent collection from the wild, but don't expect that to happen anytime soon. Mainly doing it in the hopes of finding oldies and foreigners. Keep plugging along until my bank cuts me off I figure... maybe scale back a little eventually, we'll see what happens. Just started this 2 years ago, the novelty/obsession hasn't subsided yet...

 

[Rosco53]

I'm just now finding this thread. Kudos on going through the equivalent of 800 boxes, or 400 $50 bags!

Your numbers are in line with estimates I've seen of one Indian Head every 40 boxes. I haven't pulled one yet, but I got an 1896 in change from a Chinese restaurant a few years ago.

I can hardly imagine it, but you're closing in on four full boxes of wheats (potentially an extra $1000.00 on eBay) and two boxes of Canadians. The Canadians are likely worth a premium, since they've effectively been demonetized.

From my much smaller sample size, I've pulled a Belgian coin and a 2-cent Euro, along with two S-mint proofs (1968 and 1986). The only error of note was a copper with the last digit missing from the date (these are not considered rare). I check the 1992's for the close AM, but so far no luck.

You're probably up to 2.5 million cents by now. Continued happy hunting!

Appreciate the kind words. Best of luck with your search for an Indian Head, definitely a thrill to find! Sadly, the Canadians aren't really worth much extra unless you're fortunate to find a George V, but not doin this with the delusion of getting rich. Also, only at 2,188,000.

 

[Johnny5]

Was all the 2,000,000 coins from bags or was it a mixture of bags and boxes? That's about 8 bags/boxes per week, wow. Your fingers and eyes must be sore at the end of the week.

 

[Rosco53]

Was all the 2,000,000 coins from bags or was it a mixture of bags and boxes? That's about 8 bags/boxes per week, wow. Your fingers and eyes must be sore at the end of the week.

First time was 8 rolls, exchanged those for 18, then for 20 twice, and then my bank's vault manager said bags would be easier for them and me and its been bags (of every denomination) ever since. Only other time I've done rolls was once my bank had like 5 rolls of halves...

 

[NSR60]

Being a stat lover, I was seriously wondering if I've handled 2,000,000 pennies in my lifetime. I'm leaning toward no. That would be well over 100 pennies a day, every day since I got my first piggy bank.

 

[CardsNCoins]

Are you not saving the coppers?