An increasing amount of Canadians are realizing that the oldcoins in their change are worth much more then the face value printed on them.With the increasing price of copper, Canadian pennies represent an excellentopportunity to obtain copper through coin roll hunting, without paying highmarkups for bullion bars and coins. These copper coins are backed by thegovernment, and therefore, have a guaranteed metal content and weight thatallows them to be a trusted source of copper. However, not all Canadian penniescontain this valuable copper content. This article will describe which penniesyou should keep and those that you should disregard while coin roll hunting, aswell as the Canadian pennies that should be kept to the side due to theirnumismatic value.
Canadian Penniesto Keep for Their Copper and Numismatic Qualities
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| Look for valuable copper coins in boxes of pennies |
Between the years 1876 and 1919, Canadian pennies were muchlarger than the pennies that people commonly use today. Although they are made ofonly 95.5% copper, as opposed to the 98% in future years as we will see, theyhave a staggering weight of 5.67 grams, making them more than two times asheavy as the worthless modern steel and zinc pennies. However, you should notvalue these large cents for their copper value, and should instead value themfor their numismatic value, that is, their age and rarity. Because they aremuch larger than the pennies minted after 1920, you will not be able to findone of these large cents through coin roll hunting as they do not fit withinthe contemporary sized rolls. It is still worth pointing out their value incase you do ever come across one.
Canadian pennies minted between 1920 and 1936 have a coppercontent of 95.5% and weigh 3.24 grams, making them a valued target for coinroll hunters. However, they have a portrait of King George V on them andtherefore should be kept separate from your copper penny hoard for theirnumismatic value. These King George V coins are rare, and if you are luckyenough to find one while coin roll hunting, you should hold onto it and makesure not to place it amongst your other Canadian copper pennies.
Although pennies minted between 1937 and 1941 have a coppercontent of 95.5%, and pennies minted between 1942 and 1952 have a coppercontent of 98%, these pennies should also be kept distinctively separate fromyour copper hoard for their numismatic value. Canadian pennies from 1937-1952have a portrait of King George VI on them, and while not as rare as the KingGeorge V pennies, they are worthy of remaining outside of the other copperpennies that make up your copper penny hoard.
Canadian pennies found between the years 1953 and 1979should make up your first group of pennies retained for their copper content.Pennies in this group are made of 98% copper and weigh 3.24 grams. They offerthe largest “bang for your buck” as they are Canada’s heaviest copper pennies mintedafter 1920. They are even larger than the 3.1 gram American pennies. As a coinroll hunter for copper pennies, these should be your most sought after Canadianpennies, since they are still abundant within circulation and offer theopportunity to obtain copper at an amazing value.
The Canadian penny shrank for the second time afterConfederation in the year 1980 to 2.8 grams. However, this weightwas only temporary. Canadian pennies minted in the years 1980 and 1981 shouldmake up the second group in your hoard of Canadian copper pennies. Aside fromtheir weight of 2.8 grams, they too have a copper content of 98%. Canadianpennies minted between 1982 and 1996 make up your third and final group ofcopper pennies in your hoard. This group weighs the least in relation to allthe other Canadian copper pennies. They have a mass of 2.5 grams, a unique12-sided shape making them stand out easily, and a composition of 98% copper.
Therefore, your Canadian copper penny hoard should beseparated into groups containing the years: (1) 1953-1979, (2) 1980-1981, and(3) 1982-1996. Your numismatic Canadian penny collection should contain: (1)King George V pennies from 1920-1936 and (2) King George VI pennies from1937-52.
Canadian Penniesto Disregard
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| Modern steel pennies are of little value to coin roll hunters |
After 1996, Canadian pennies went through a change thatsubstantially decreased their inherent metal value. Not only did the Canadianpennies between 1997-1999 decrease to a weight of 2.25 grams, they no longercontained a composition that included 98% copper. Instead these pennies wereminted from 98.4% zinc and had only a 1.6% copper plating. Some individualscoin roll hunting may see some value in these coins as zinc pennies have thepotential to one day be worth more than their one cent face value. However,with so many copper pennies still in circulation, you should disregard thesezinc pennies and free up the money you would be keeping in these pennies to beable to obtain more copper pennies before 1997.
Finally, Canadian pennies minted between 2000-2012 representa complete elimination of inherent value in the penny. During these years,pennies were made of 94% steel and weigh 2.35 grams. There is no reason to keepthese pennies that you find through coin roll hunting, as they are worth muchless than their one cent face value. Instead, re-roll them and take them back tothe bank in order to assist in funding your continued search for Canadiancopper pennies.
To learn more about how we sort and separate our Canadiancopper pennies, go a head and watch the video below.
