I got a box of cents from the bank about a month ago and looking at all those cents gave me a headache Just kidding Really what I notice is that I got only about 15% of pre 1982 dates in the box, I have to admit that I was not putting a whole lot of attention to what I was doing, so I decided to do a little study, I'm going to get 2 boxes and find out what is in them by date and mintmark. If any of you would like to do the same it would be grate to see what we have in other parts of the U.S. I will post the results here when I finish.

Last time I bought a bunch of Lincolns I got $5 worth. Probably 10% or so were pre-1982 cents. I think there was 5-6 wheat cents in there as well. Pretty disappointed in my finds but it's not like I lost money in the whole deal

Nothing too exciting. Most of the "good" Lincolns have been pulled out of circulation but I'm sure a lot are still out there locked away in rolls.

Half dollar rolls are fun to go through as well. Found a few 90% Kennedy's over the past year.

Forgot to ask, exactly what is a "box" of Lincolns?

I think a box should have about $25 in cents, is that correct? I recall a box of quarters is $500, or 50 rolls, so I just assumed a box of cents has the same 50 rolls. It seems like copper cents are getting more scarce, but it's like anything, the law of averages and an occational anomaly like last week when every cent I got in change (about 12) were pre-1982. Either way, they are getting fewer as people like me just hoard them (got over 6,000 so far). Gresham's law in action, though at a much slower pace than in 1965.

yeah a box is $25...

LostDutchman is right.

You think pre 82 will ever be worth anything in circulated state? Even with the 10 billion or so made every year? Are you hoarding anything in particular or everything pre 82? Just wondering so I can start hoarding to.

Well, I keep wheat cents separate, but anything from 1959-81 I save since they are copper, and my view for a long time has been that eventually the copper in the coins will be worth more than face, and even enough to melt, similar to silver coins. It takes about 153 copper cents to make a pound of copper, which right now is worth $2.04 in the spot market. Sure, that's nothing to get too excited about, and certainly not enough to go start melting pennies, but eventually if copper gets to $5, or $7 or $10 a pound, it might become worth it to turn all those old cents into tubing. Certainly I wouldn't complain about selling my pennies for a nickel each!

I hoard pre-82's for the same reason. Worth more than face value now, imagine what they could be worth later on.