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Non-NEC Console Related Discussion => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: mitsuman on November 19, 2014, 03:08:14 AM
Title: What if...
Post by: mitsuman on November 19, 2014, 03:08:14 AM
(http://www.timeforkids.com/files/130204_pennies_tout.jpg) What if someone offered you one million dollars, but it was all in pennies? And you had to spend it in pennies. You can not deposit it into a bank and use it from there. You have to pay with everything you buy using the pennies. Would you do it?
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: Bernie on November 19, 2014, 03:13:28 AM
I'd live off pennies.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: xelement5x on November 19, 2014, 03:21:06 AM
Sure thing. If they were pre-1982 pennies I would be ecstatic because those are mainly copper compared to "modern" pennies. Then I would drive to Mexico to start melting those bitches down so I could have $3 million!
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: Necromancer on November 19, 2014, 03:25:53 AM
Cheater! You have to spend the pennies, xele.
If I only have to spend the million in pennies and can pay for other stuff with my own monies, then hell yes; if I have to pay for literally EVERYTHING with the pennies, then maybe not, as many places will not accept a huge pile of loose pennies as payment. I'd still probably do it, though, as I'm sure I could make a deal for a house/car/stocks with someone willing to deal with pennies for a fee.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: bob on November 19, 2014, 03:48:10 AM
not sure where i would store them.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: Necromancer on November 19, 2014, 04:17:55 AM
Heh, that could be a problem. 100 million pennies would take up a lot of space and weigh more than half a million pounds.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: mitsuman on November 19, 2014, 04:39:31 AM
Heh, that could be a problem. 100 million pennies would take up a lot of space and weigh more than half a million pounds.
I asked this same question on another website and someone did the math.
Quote
They would weigh ~551,156 pounds assuming all of them would be post 1984 pennies and take up ~90 cubic feet
Title: What if...
Post by: esteban on November 19, 2014, 05:38:44 AM
I would love to have this problem. I don't care if I only spent it in small increments, I would be a million dollars richer. Sure, I'll probably die with the damn things. But I could swim in them, too.
Someone do the math on the cubic volume of a 100 million pennies.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: munchiaz on November 19, 2014, 05:57:54 AM
I don't think i could do it. I would go nuts just carrying them with me for day to day purchases. imagine buying a car with pennies. It would just be insane. And if i'm reading the question correctly, i have to use this one million in pennies before i can use my normal income. I guess i could just buy a few really expensive things to deplete it as soon as possible.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: Necromancer on November 19, 2014, 06:09:47 AM
Sure thing. If they were pre-1982 pennies I would be ecstatic because those are mainly copper compared to "modern" pennies. Then I would drive to Mexico to start melting those bitches down so I could have $3 million!
Huh, interesting tidbit. I recall many years ago taking my propane-powered blow torch and melting a dozen or so pennies just to f--k around, heh. They're either tin or nickel depending on what's cheaper and if the melting temp of nickel was low enough for my blow torch.
I guess if it costs 2 pennies to make a penny then like Canaduh they should be discontinued. Or, make 'em out of plastic or something. That'd be cheap still and hey, those 3D printers will come in more handy. ;)
Edit: Upon looking at penny trivia, the metal I thought might be tin when I melted some pennies was in fact zinc. From 1982 and forward they're being made out of zinc plated with copper. Too bad, I would've used the metal if it was tin for some soldering jobs of copper pipe... Makes sense, zinc has got to be much cheaper than something like tin.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: cr8zykuban0 on November 21, 2014, 02:44:37 PM
i would secretly go to coin star and change some of the pennies everyday lol
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: xelement5x on November 21, 2014, 04:53:50 PM
Sure thing. If they were pre-1982 pennies I would be ecstatic because those are mainly copper compared to "modern" pennies. Then I would drive to Mexico to start melting those bitches down so I could have $3 million!
Huh, interesting tidbit. I recall many years ago taking my propane-powered blow torch and melting a dozen or so pennies just to f--k around, heh. They're either tin or nickel depending on what's cheaper and if the melting temp of nickel was low enough for my blow torch.
I guess if it costs 2 pennies to make a penny then like Canaduh they should be discontinued. Or, make 'em out of plastic or something. That'd be cheap still and hey, those 3D printers will come in more handy. ;)
Edit: Upon looking at penny trivia, the metal I thought might be tin when I melted some pennies was in fact zinc. From 1982 and forward they're being made out of zinc plated with copper. Too bad, I would've used the metal if it was tin for some soldering jobs of copper pipe... Makes sense, zinc has got to be much cheaper than something like tin.
Every time I get a pre-82 penny I save it in a jar in my house because technically they're worth like 3c in the copper value alone. Someday, when America retires the penny I will melt those f*ckers down and create a solid copper Sega Saturn and then set it outside in the rain until it oxidizes and turns green like the Statue of Liberty.
IT WILL BE AMAZING I TELL YOU!
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: esteban on November 22, 2014, 02:10:44 AM
Sure thing. If they were pre-1982 pennies I would be ecstatic because those are mainly copper compared to "modern" pennies. Then I would drive to Mexico to start melting those bitches down so I could have $3 million!
Huh, interesting tidbit. I recall many years ago taking my propane-powered blow torch and melting a dozen or so pennies just to f--k around, heh. They're either tin or nickel depending on what's cheaper and if the melting temp of nickel was low enough for my blow torch.
I guess if it costs 2 pennies to make a penny then like Canaduh they should be discontinued. Or, make 'em out of plastic or something. That'd be cheap still and hey, those 3D printers will come in more handy. ;)
Edit: Upon looking at penny trivia, the metal I thought might be tin when I melted some pennies was in fact zinc. From 1982 and forward they're being made out of zinc plated with copper. Too bad, I would've used the metal if it was tin for some soldering jobs of copper pipe... Makes sense, zinc has got to be much cheaper than something like tin.
Every time I get a pre-82 penny I save it in a jar in my house because technically they're worth like 3c in the copper value alone. Someday, when America retires the penny I will melt those f*ckers down and create a solid copper Sega Saturn and then set it outside in the rain until it oxidizes and turns green like the Statue of Liberty.
IT WILL BE AMAZING I TELL YOU!
I endorse your plan. It better come to fruition.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: NightWolve on November 22, 2014, 02:56:53 AM
Yeah, that is interesting. I might just see if I got pre-1982 all copper pennies now myself. ;) I mean, you got criminals breaking into places to tear apart the electrical wiring to get at that copper, it is becoming more valuable.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: synbiosfan on November 22, 2014, 05:22:30 AM
Every time I get a pre-82 penny I save it in a jar in my house because technically they're worth like 3c in the copper value alone. Someday, when America retires the penny I will melt those f*ckers down and create a solid copper Sega Saturn and then set it outside in the rain until it oxidizes and turns green like the Statue of Liberty.
IT WILL BE AMAZING I TELL YOU!
Glad I didn't wait for the penny to retire to do it. I'm still amazed you found out or, far more unlikely, came up with the same idea! It does look amazing I tell you! :^o
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: NightWolve on November 23, 2014, 05:43:15 PM
Found about 50 in my change stash and elsewhere. Got some antiques as early as 1917 even. Had to clean some with SOS to read dates as they were so dirty and tarnished. So that's funny, they're worth about 3-4 pennies themselves, huh ?
Title: What if...
Post by: esteban on November 23, 2014, 11:18:47 PM
Found about 50 in my change stash and elsewhere. Got some antiques as early as 1917 even. Had to clean some with SOS to read dates as they were so dirty and tarnished. So that's funny, they're worth about 3-4 pennies themselves, huh ?
They were worth that, until you scrubbed them clean. The patina is where the value is. The greasier and nastier the coin, the greater the value.
I have a 1994 nickel I rescued from a deep fryer. It smells of death, but that little gem is easily worth 15-25 cents. It's encrusted in lard and bits of potato. And a decade of dust (I once tried to remove dust with compressed air, but a kernel of crunchy fat broke off. I won't dare try that again!)
:)
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: xelement5x on November 24, 2014, 03:35:27 AM
Found about 50 in my change stash and elsewhere. Got some antiques as early as 1917 even. Had to clean some with SOS to read dates as they were so dirty and tarnished. So that's funny, they're worth about 3-4 pennies themselves, huh ?
An easy way to clean pennies actually is to rub them in some ketchup for a bit. You could also soak them in vinegar as it pretty much does the same thing.
I am a big fan of doing smashed pennies (like you find in tourist traps), so I normally clean my solid copper pennies and use them for smashing as I think they look nicer.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: wildfruit on November 24, 2014, 04:51:14 AM
I would take them to my local supermarket that has a change counting machine. Spend them all on that and get 95% of the value back in note form.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: Necromancer on November 24, 2014, 05:52:39 AM
You crazy f*ckers, stockpiling pennies so you can maybe someday double your investment..... minus the cost of smelting. :lol:
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: Arkhan on November 24, 2014, 06:18:41 AM
I already live off penis, so this is easy.
oh.
that says pennies.
sure.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: xelement5x on November 24, 2014, 06:22:02 AM
Found about 50 in my change stash and elsewhere. Got some antiques as early as 1917 even. Had to clean some with SOS to read dates as they were so dirty and tarnished. So that's funny, they're worth about 3-4 pennies themselves, huh ?
An easy way to clean pennies actually is to rub them in some ketchup for a bit. You could also soak them in vinegar as it pretty much does the same thing.
I am a big fan of doing smashed pennies (like you find in tourist traps), so I normally clean my solid copper pennies and use them for smashing as I think they look nicer.
From now on, whenever i think of you, i am going to have this mental image of a strange strange man with ketchup covered hands rubbing on a stack of pennies at a table beneath a single dangling light bulb in a windowless room full of Pico stuffs.
Now imagine me in my underwear and a gas mask like Walter White doing all the above as well....
Hope you sleep well tonight nonbeliever!
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: NightWolve on April 12, 2016, 09:51:12 PM
Found about 50 in my change stash and elsewhere. Got some antiques as early as 1917 even. Had to clean some with SOS to read dates as they were so dirty and tarnished. So that's funny, they're worth about 3-4 pennies themselves, huh ?
An easy way to clean pennies actually is to rub them in some ketchup for a bit. You could also soak them in vinegar as it pretty much does the same thing.
I am a big fan of doing smashed pennies (like you find in tourist traps), so I normally clean my solid copper pennies and use them for smashing as I think they look nicer.
I kept meaning to post this, a few months after I saw your tip about the use of vinegar, I gave it a shot. Heh. Very interesting. These photos were sitting on my HDD since 3 days after your post, but I just didn't get around to posting them. So basically I just kept letting them sit in a pan of vinegar which is a neat trick for cleaning other metals too!
(https://s5.postimg.cc/te5aaeq07/IMG_0251.jpg)
(https://s5.postimg.cc/egwt9ecrr/IMG_0259.jpg)
There's a story about those 1943 pennies BTW, but no, I wasn't lucky enough to have scored one of the genuine 40 copper-alloy ones that got loose.
Title: Re: What if...
Post by: xelement5x on April 13, 2016, 04:14:16 AM
Vinegar in the sun works really well if the penny is already kind of clean, but there is any film or gunk on it, you will not be able to get it totally shiny. I use the ketchup since it's works as kind of an abrasive along with the chemical process on the copper.