Unopened $50 bag of 1981 pennies

[finfangfan]

When I was little, I asked Santa Claus for $1 million worth of pennies. Shortly after that, my mom was at the bank when they were receiving bags of coins in delivery. And then somehow the bank got in touch with Santa Claus and the below $50 bag of pennies ended up under my Christmas tree in 1981.

Any idea on the value of this beyond $50?

[Hail24]

Yes, mint sewn bags of Lincoln cents are always more valuable than face. Certain years pull a lot more obviously depending on what errors you can find on them. The good thing is this is a year that was all copper, so they also have copper value as well. Nice if you are ever looking to sell, I would be a buyer. Thanks, and hope this helps. Chris

[finfangfan]

What’s the ballpark value?

[TheHeel]

If you look on completed eBay listings, you'll find your answer.

[finfangfan]

I don’t see any completed listings for the 1981 bags. Any help is appreciated… thanks!

EDIT: This website shows one for $375. Anyone know what the R16 marking before the date means on the bag I have?

[TheHeel]

There are a whole bunch of completed listings for 1981.

[finfangfan]

When I search >> US Mint 1981 bag << I see the $375 active listing for a sealed bag noted above but when searching completed the 3 results that pop up are different items (not the sealed bag). Oh well… thanks anyway!

[finfangfan]

And I’m also guessing the copper tariff is affecting prices somewhat of pennies that are known to have higher amounts of copper than the more modern pennies. Is the hobby seeing a spike in secondary copper penny values?

[glen87]

[finfangfan]

Thanks. I’m not sure what up with eBay search. I was signed in and only got the one active listing and no completed. Maybe there are regional differences or something.

[boxbuster7]

$275 for $50 worth of pennies is NONSENSE

[glen87]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

$275 for $50 worth of pennies is NONSENSE

no more ridiculous than $10k plus for a piece of cardboard of a 19 year old kid who has not done anything other than be drafted

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by boxbuster7

$275 for $50 worth of pennies is NONSENSE

Welcome to the collectible market where people pay $100s if not $1000s for cardboard as well.

At any rate, it was a fun find while cleaning out my mom’s house. Thanks for the buy offers but it would be a bit much to ship and I think I will just hold onto it for now since it has sentimental value.

Still would like to know what R16 means on the bag stamp and if it could provide a hint on where the pennies were minted. The bag on eBay begins with a D and the seller identifies as Denver mint. So not sure what R would mean. My mom would have bought them from an East Coast bank within a few hrs of Philadelphia so I am guessing there might be a good chance they are from Philly. But then you’d think that bag stamp would begin with a P, not R. Google AI says to ask a coin expert. Just mentioning that before someone says to do a google search. Lol.

[finfangfan]

BTW… Here is Google AI’s explanation for how different users can receive different search results when searching the same search word on eBay. I’m guessing it chose to not show me the lower priced completed items because it wanted me to buy the $375 live item. Tricky!

AI Overview



+4
Yes, eBay can show different search results for the same search terms for different users due to the personalization of its search algorithm.
Here's why and how:
Best Match algorithm: eBay's search engine utilizes a "Best Match" algorithm to rank listings. This algorithm's primary goal is to show buyers the listings they are most likely to purchase.
Factors influencing Best Match: The Best Match algorithm considers several factors when ranking listings, including how closely the listing matches the buyer's search terms, the item's popularity, price, listing quality (description, photos, etc.), completeness, terms of service (return policy, handling time), and the seller's track record.
Personalization through price propensity: eBay introduced a "price propensity" feature in search ranking to customize results based on a user's price preferences. This feature considers past purchases and items a user has shown interest in, and uses this information to predict their price preference for future purchases.
Buyer behavior and personalization: The algorithm also considers buyer behavior and personalization. This includes factors such as a user's past browsing history, items they've viewed or purchased before, and items with high sales volume or watch counts.
User actions matter: Filters and sorting options selected by the buyer, like brand, size, or color, directly influence the results they see.
In essence, eBay aims to provide a personalized search experience to increase the likelihood of a successful sale for each individual user, leading to potential differences in search results even for the same search query.

[PoPCulture]

So that bag has increased 5X it’s original cash value but the number of thoughts that it’s worth is still 5,000?

[edclay]

https://www.uscoinsvalue.com/1981-penny-value/

All you need to know about 1981 pennies

[boxbuster7]

Originally Posted by glen87

no more ridiculous than $10k plus for a piece of cardboard of a 19 year old kid who has not done anything other than be drafted

Bedard?

[finfangfan]

Originally Posted by edclay

https://www.uscoinsvalue.com/1981-penny-value/

All you need to know about 1981 pennies

Thanks. Someday years after I croak… one of my nephews great-great-grandkids will crack open the bag and find a rare error. And then maybe my initial Santa wish for $1 million in pennies will ultimately be fulfilled. Next life, I should make sure to specify a more reasonable timeframe for wish fulfillment though!