Starting Penny Collection

[Coin Boy]

For a gift I received a Lincoln Penny book, 1975-2009.

A couple days later I started filling the book.  Out of thousands of pennies I took several handfuls and laid them down next to my book.  I started placing them in.  The first four holes were rather challenging in that I had to force the pennies into place.  But then I started a new technique that involved picking up the book and then placed the penny in with my thumb.

After a while it became easy to put them in.  The first day I managed to put in 34 pennies.  The second day (tonight) I ended up with 50 in the book.

I am only having trouble with one year of pennies and that's 1982, due to all the different metals.  I don't understand how to tell the difference.

 

[Triggersmob]

Coin Boy, have fun with those Lincolns, I know I did.

The early ones (copper) weigh 3.11 grams and the later ones (copper-plated zinc) weigh 2.5 grams.
Do you access to a set of scales to weigh them?
If not you can make a crude one by balancing a ruler across a pencil, making sure that it is central.
Put an early coin (before 1982) on one end and you 1982 on the other (make sure they are the same distance from the end)
if they remained balance then you have a 3.11 gram coin, if the early coin goes down and the other coin goes up, then you have a 2.5 gram coin.
It's a bit rough, but it works. To help eliminate errors, use coins with equal amount of wear.

[AdamL]

Filling the holes in those books is alot of fun, isn't it. And they look good when you get done too.

[Nighthawk]

Coin Boy, have grandpa take you to the bank and purchase a few rolls of pennies there. I've found lots of old pennies searching thru rolls. I've found lots of wheat pennies, an 1858 Flying Eagle cent, steel pennies, a 1924-D with a rotated reverse, and lots of small foreign coins too! Try your luck- go to the bank! 

[Goose]

And speaking of coin roll hunting (CRH), I went to a bank today and picked up 3 rolls of halves. They were ALL UNC 2000-P halves....22.6 million minted. Now I see that the 21.1 million of the 2001-P halves weren't released yet.  Something tells me the the mint has a vast amount of extra coins in their vaults.

[ndgoflo]

If you don't have a scale, the simplest way to determine the difference in the '82's is to give 'em a flip. If it rings it is copper, if it doesn't ring it is zinc (assuming you are searching circulated coins). As for the date size, I find the "2" is the easiest diagnostic. If the middle of the 2 angles straight to the base (to look like a 45 degree angle) of the 2 it is a large date, if it curves down to the base (perpendicular, more of a right angle) it is a small date if that makes any sense. There is also a noticable difference in the thicknes of the numbers in the date, thick=large thin=small.

[Templar]

  COIN BOY--TRY TO PUT THE COIN IN THE HOLE AND PLACE A THIN PIECE OF CARDBOARD OVER IT AND TAP THE TOP OF THE CARDBOARD UNTIL THE COIN FITS--THE CARDBOARD WILL PROTECT THE COIN FROM SCRATHES--ALSO USE GLOVES OR A HANDKERCHEF TO KEEP YOUR BODY OILS OFF THE COINS---EMAIL ME WITH A LIST OF PENNIES YOU NEED AND I WILL CHECK MY VAULTS AND SEE IF I CAN HELP YOU!
                                    YOUR SERVANT--THE TEMPLAR!