Inflation: Even the new zinc pennies are no longer worthless

You've always heard that the new 97% zinc pennies are worthless. They probably were when they first came out but thanks to Helicopter Ben that's no longer true.

According to coinflation, post-1982 zinc pennies are currently worth 51% of their face value:
1982-2012 Lincoln Zinc Penny Melt Value - Coinflation

That value reached somewhere around 100% back in 2007:
Kitco - Spot Zinc Historical Charts and Graphs - Zinc charts - Industrial metals

If you buy large quantities of unsorted pennies, no matter what happens you cannot lose:

• In a hyperinflation scenario their value will quickly go over 100%. Could go up many thousands of times, as happened in Zimbabwe.
• Sometimes in hyperinflation the dollar bills will get devalued but the coins stay as they are.
• In a deflation scenario the relative face value will go up.
• In a "life as usual" scenario you can cash them back in for dollars.
• Approximately 25% of those will be more-valuable copper pennies (currently worth 250% of face value).
• And large boxes of pennies make a nice bullet-resistant wall:
  Odds And Ends That You Won't Want To Be Without, by Sonny Jim - SurvivalBlog.com

No matter how you look at it, obtaining large quantities of unsorted pennies is a win-win -- and you don't have to sort out the copper pennies.

 

Yes but hyper inflation means you will need more pennies to pay for something.

and at approx. 200 pennies per pound, erm, that is not going to be convenient.

1# zinc ~0.88 FRNs
1# copper pennies ~ 3.66 FRNs (little less than 2.00 face)
1# Nickel ~ 7.72 FRNs (~ 4.25 face value)
1# silver ~ 411.00 FRNs
1# gold ~ 22721.00 FRNs

I think I'll take a different tact when carrying metal as a hedge against inflation.

 

That's true, but this was addressed to those out there who collect pre-1982 copper pennies for their melt value.

 

they might be small enough to tape into a 12 gauge slug if you reload, or at least tape them together for wrist rocket ammo. The idea for using it as bullet proof wall lining is interesting.