When dealing with common US circulated coinage, it is fairly interesting that the only two coins in which its' melt value surpasses the face value are the nickel and certain pennies. I know not everyone on here is in the US, so the kind of coin may not be relevant to you but the metals involved probably are relevant. There is definitely a hint of irony in the fact that many burgeoning numismatists are hoarding the two least valuable coins in the US mint's arsenal today.
The very first coin in circulation that I looked at and thought, that one looks old, was a 1940 Jefferson nickel. At the time, I looked it up and saw that it contained no silver, so I passed on it. There are many people that keep every nickel that they come across. Here is the reason, mainly copper but also nickel. The metal content of nickels for years now, minus the nickels made during WWII, has been 75% copper and 25% nickel. When one weighs out the melt value of cupronickel nickels, it is a bit under 7 cents.
Wow, earth shattering dude, well, not really. Although, compared to other non-precious metal coins like the dollar, half dollar, quarter and dime, the value of the metals does actually surpass the face value of the coin. Let me say, it is illegal, I think, to actually melt down coinage in the US, but if the value of copper continues to chart up along with inflation, people will no doubt melt their coins. The equipment needed is on Amazon and it is not that expensive or difficult to do.
There are some people that do not like the war-time nickels due to the silver content being low for Constitutional silver. While it is true that 1942-1945 (not all 1942 mintmarks though) nickels only have 35% silver, they also contain 56% copper. The 9% manganese is irrelevant. If there are people out there that are keeping all nickels, why would the war time nickels not be worth the time and effort? Hopefully, it is not needed, but I think the war-time nickels will come in handy in certain barter situations. By the way, to know for sure if it is a silver nickel, look for the S mintmark like the one in the above picture.
On to good old honest Abe. All pennies made in 1981, and prior, are made of 95% copper. I C U copper! I have been filling jars with older pennies for almost a year now and most people, including the wifey, think I am nuts. The melt value is just under triple the face value! There are not many ways to triple, or even, guaranteed double your money, but a copper penny is one. Take a peek at the copper chart and if it continues, hoarding cu pennies looks like a solid play.
Not everyone handles money with their job, but I do. So, it really makes sense to me to check dates and separate coins if I am handling money anyway. The oldest coin I ever found in a roll of coins is a 1918 wheat penny that I still have in a jar with almost 150 other wheat pennies. Most of those, I just found in circulation or in coin rolls. Circulated wheat pennies are not worth much, but every single one adds to the pot. Additionally, I have found 2 silver quarters, 1 dime and 1 war nickel for free, just by working and knowing dates. If I catch it right away, I will tell the person exactly what they gave me, but the one lady I mentioned it to just said keep it. So, the silver dime I found is in my oldest daughter's collection as we speak.
My guess is that this post is probably not the most helpful to people on a predominantly crypto website, but this info is useful to those that want to start a semi-precious metal collection for free. To be honest, this would be decent info to teach in elementary school along with basic money and budgeting curricula.
If I like crypto and precious metals, then I like crypto backed by precious metals. Governments worldwide never should have eliminated backing fiat with metals and also never should have taken precious metals out of regular coinage. Hey, it was just another way to take cake away from us regular people. It is pretty difficult to narrow down which crypto to buy, but some crypto backed by metals should be in everyone's portfolio.
To close and on a completely unrelated note, I really would like my kids to be winners. Meaning, I would like them to be able to take first, second and third place home all at the same time. So, we went to the library and checked out a book about gold, silver and copper! Yes, you are correct, I am available for bar mitzvahs, weddings...
