Large cents produced from 1793 thru 1857.
Pennies: zinc, with copper plating (not mixed together).Nickels: 75% copper and 25% nickel, alloyed togetherDimes, Quarters, and Half Dollars: Pure copper clad with the same alloy as nickels, for an overall content of 8% nickel and 92% copperDollars: Pure copper clad with manganese-brass alloy.
Well depending if your talking about all the different country's pennies, then Im not sure. But I do know that the pennies made in Canada and the states are. The main metal in these pennies are copper, and copper is worth more then what the penny is worth, so sometime in the near future they will atop making pennies.
Because the price of copper is more than a penny is worth. Small 1-cent coins (1856-present) have never been made of pure copper. Their highest ever copper content was 95% copper, mixed with tin and/or zinc. The only US cents ever made from pure copper were Large Cents made up to 1857.
True and False. If the coin is dated 1983 and newer, it is indeed 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. However, if it is dated 1981 and earlier, then it is 95% copper. During 1982, the US Government decided that pennies were too expensive to make with so much copper. So they decided to use zinc, with is strong and also cheaper. These newer pennies are only coated with copper. One can easily decide the content by its weight. The newer zinc pennies weigh only 2.50 grams, whereas the older copper-rich pennies weigh 3.11 grams.
Pennies are made of zinc and other alloys with a copper coating, pennies made before 1964(or around this year) they were made of just copper. What you see on a penny is not rust but corrosion of the copper coating.
Pennies minted before 1982 are composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc.
For metal content, or melt value, copper pennies (pre-1982) are worth about 2 cents each. As far as collector value, that depends more on specific dates, mint marks, and condition.
copper. That is why they call them copper pennies. There is also a zinc coating on the pennies be more specific dude
Starting mid-year in 1982, pennies were made with a zinc core and copper plating. This would give them a 97.5% zinc content and 2.5% copper content.
Lincoln Memorial cents minted between 1959 and 1981 are all worth about 2 cents for their copper content.
Copper pennies are worth at least 2 cents for their copper content. Without knowing details such as the date, mint mark (if applicable), and condition, there is absolutely no way to give a more specific answer.
94% steel, 1.5% nickel, 4.5% copper
American pennies have been copper in every year except 1943, when copper was scarce and pennies were made of steel. These days, pennies are more zinc than copper.
Due to the rising price of copper, pennies were worth more than face value.
Based on melt value alone, any Lincoln cents minted before 1982 are worth about 2 cents each for their copper content.
You cant't figure this out using copper pennies. Pennies are not 100% copper.
They stopped making copper pennies in 1982. There are some 1982 pennies that are 95% copper and some that are not. 1983 pennies that are 95% exist but are rare and are collectors items.While the above statement would seem to be correct, it is, however, not completely true. The U.S. has never stopped making copper pennies, or pennies with some copper content, except in 1943, when they were made of a low-grade carbon steel and coated with zinc (having a grey color); this change was due to the need for copper and brass during World War II. These 1943 wartime pennies are commonly referred to as "steel" pennies. They contain NO copper...More correctly, 1982 was the last mint year for 95% copper cents. Since mid-1982, the newest (current, as of 2012) composition for U.S. one-cent coins ("pennies") has an inner core alloy of 99.2% zinc with 0.8% copper, with the coin balance as an outer plating of pure copper, for a total coin composition of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. These current pennies are commonly called "zinc pennies", due to their heavy-majority zinc content, even though they do still contain some copper. The composition of U.S. pennies from mid-1864 to mid-1982 was an alloy of 95% copper with either 5% tin-and-zinc ("bronze" pennies) or 5% zinc ("brass" pennies). Before that, the composition was an alloy of 88% copper with 12% nickel from mid-1857 to mid-1864 (the only time any U.S. pennies ever contained nickel), and, initially, from 1793 to mid-1857, the first U.S. pennies were made of pure (100%) copper.Since the first U.S. one-cent coins in 1793, U.S. pennies have always contained at least some copper, except, again, in the singular case of the year 1943, the so-called "steel" pennies.Therefore, the most correct answer to the question is either:(1) the U.S. has never stopped making copper pennies, except in 1943; or(2) 1943 is the only year the U.S. stopped making copper pennies, or any pennies with NO copper in them.Hope this helps!