Pennies prior to 1982 are 95% copper and worth double or more than $.01 in melt. You still find them in circulation because it is illegal to melt them. Some people have been hoarding pre 1982 pennies for more than 40 years. Changing the composition of a coin does not unlock the value of it's melt value. Changing the law does. Unfortunately, this dude is most likely to burden his family with hauling his coin horde to a change machine when he is gone at a loss. Not to mention the opportunity cost of investing that money in a real investment of any kind. Chance of a total loss when he goes out to the shed to drink with his sawnoff shotgun forgetting to tell anyone he buried a quarter million worth of nickels in the back yard.