How much is the copper in a penny worth?

Answer 1

US cents minted since mid-1982 are zinc with only a thin layer of copper plating, so the answer is "not much".

The coin weighs 2.5 gm of which only 2.5% (0.025) is copper, so there's only 2.5 X 0.025 = .0625 grams of copper in the plating. At today's prices that amount of metal is worth about 4/100 of a cent!

OTOH if you're talking about older cents, they're made of a bronze alloy containing 95% copper, which makes the metal in them worth about 1.7¢ IF you could get enough of them together to make them worth melting ... and IF melting cents weren't illegal.

Bottom line: New cents - spend them. Old cents - check with a price guide, dealer, or collector to see if they might be worth more as collectibles. Many aren't, but some cents from the 1930s and earlier can be worth a premium. In any case, you have to know the coins' specific dates, conditions, and mint marks to determine their possible value as collectibles.