Advice on how to sort?

[JohnG]

Hello all!
Amateur collector, trying to get a little better.
Listening to Earl’s no.1 suggestion on one of my other posts.
Trying to sort the older pre-82 pennies I’ve been collecting for a while.
I’m just looking for some advice as to how to start sorting them?
First, I was looking to separate wheat from Lincoln memorial, then by year, taking note of any that were in especially good condition.
What other things should I take note of at this time?

Thanks in advance for any advice/criticism,
John

[muswell65]

Hi John,

I believe your first steps are a good start!

I don't know how many pennies you're dealing with, but I had a similar challenge when I had to clean out a neighbor's house after he passed, and found thousands of pennies that he had accumulated over decades. I did exactly what you described - first separating the wheaties from memorials, then separating each by decade, and then finally by year. Noticing especially good looking coins is a good idea, since you may be bringing many coins into contact with each other, and you might want to minimize any contact marks.

I wouldn't focus on varieties or errors at this early stage. It will be a long process! Enjoy the experience and stick with this site - you will learn so much here

Best,
Jeff

[Worldwide C]

Sort them by type and put them in tubes or any other containers, then all of the high AU to MS conditioned coins put them in 2x2 flips.

[Earle42]

If you are looking for varieties, sort them exactly as you have, by year and mint mark. Then you can use varietyvista.com which has all the varieties listed by date and MM. You simply go through your piles sequentially and check them in order.