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When did pennies stop being coper?
1982 although they are still coated with copper the inside is now zinc
Why were bronze pennies discontinued?
The cost of minting them. Today's pennies are zinc (cheap) coated with a copper wash, and still cost more to make than they are worth.
Do new pennies still have copper in them?
pennies these days are not completely made of copper they are just dipped in copper giving them that finished look
Are there any 1943 copper pennies still out there?
yes I have 1 1943 copper pennies, but if you find one make sure it is not a 1948 with the 8 cut down and yes its a copper pennies
Why are 1943 copper wheat pennies so rare?
Because they are errors. All 1943 pennies were supposed to be made out of zinc coated steel, however, a handful of copper blanks from 1942 still remained in the machine when it was switched on and US mint employees did not catch the error until the coins had reached circulation. It was a coin that wasn't supposed to exist.
When did the us stop making copper pennies?
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!
Do 2010 pennies have some copper in them?
Yes, but not much. All US cents struck since the middle of 1982 are made of zinc, with copper plating so they still look like older pennies. By weight, 97.5% of the coin is zinc and only 2.5% is copper.
What year did they stop minting pure copper pennies?
This is a potentially difficult question to answer, based on its vagueness. We'll try to answer what we think is meant, and give some extra information which may also be helpful...If, in this question, the "they" means, or refers to, the U.S. government or the U.S. Mint, then the answer would be mid-1857. From 1793 into mid-1857, the U.S. minted 100% pure copper one-cent coins ("pennies"). 1857, then, would be the last year the U.S. minted pure copper pennies.In mid-1857, the denomination's size was reduced to its current 19 mm and the composition was changed to an alloy of 88% copper and 12% nickel. This composition remained into mid-1864, when the long-standing 95% copper makeup first came into use. The 1857-1864 pennies are the only pennies, and the only time period, when U.S. pennies contained any nickel. Since mid-1864, the pennies have consistently been an alloy of 95% copper with the balance being either 5% tin-and-zinc ("bronze" pennies) or 5% zinc ("brass" pennies). The only exception was the 1943 "steel" pennies, described further below."Lincoln" cents were NEVER made of purecopper. They were also struck in the copper-heavy "bronze" or "brass" alloy consisting of 95% copper and 5% tin-and-zinc or 5% zinc (as mentioned above), except in 1943, when they were composed of a low-grade carbon steel and coated with zinc, to save copper for the war effort (World War II). The so-called "Lincoln pennies", so named for having Abraham Lincoln's profile on the front (obverse), started in the year 1909, with a wreath formed from a pair of wheat ears on the rear (reverse). These pennies from 1909-1958 have further been nicknamed "wheat pennies" to distinguish them from the "Lincoln Memorial" pennies, from 1959-2008, due to this monument replacing the wheat wreath on the reverse. For 2009 only, the reverses were changed to four alternating scenes from Lincoln's life. In 2010, the reverse was changed again to the "Union Shield", as it remains today (2015), and onward...Mid-1982 was the last year for pennies made mostly of copper. Again, U.S. pennies were 95% copper, from mid-1864 up until mid-1982, except for the zinc-coated "steel" pennies in 1943. In 1982, two versions of the cent were produced: the 95% copper alloy (first part of year) and the copper-coated zinc cents (last portion of year), which composition is still used today. Officially, from 1983 onward, all U.S. cents intended for circulation have been the newer copper-coated zinc variety.How can one tell if a 1982 U.S. cent is MAJORITY copper or not? Anything to do with spinning it?NO. The most certain way to tell the difference is by weight. The mid-1982-and-earlier pennies have a total coin weight of about 3.11 grams, being composed mostly of copper (95%), while the mid-1982-and-newer pennies have a total coin weight of about 2.5 grams, being composed mostly of zinc (97.5%). In a coin this size, a difference of approximately more than one half of a gram is very significant, and is practically foolproof, even on any reasonably inexpensive scale, so long as it displays grams to at least the first position behind the decimal point! (These newer pennies have an inner core of 99.2% zinc alloyed with 0.8% copper and an outer plating of pure copper, for a total coin composition of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper.) [We could add, then, that since mid-1982 and later, there actually is PURE copper ON the cents, but only on the outer layer or plating...]As a safe bet, one might even weigh the 1983 pennies due to the possibility of some leftover 95% copper blanks at the mint accidentally being stamped as 1983 pennies! If true, these should turn out be quite rare and worth something extra!Two final points of clarity:(1) excepting the 1943 "steel" pennies, since all other years of U.S. pennies have retained at least some minimal copper content, we can not truly say that there are no copper pennies anymore; they all are "copper" pennies in the sense that they do have some copper, and that they retain at least some copper on the exterior (outside) surface so as to retain the "appearance" of copper pennies.(2) Since the original question does not specify who "they" means, if "they" refers to anyone other than the U.S., such as Canada, or Australia, or Great Britain, etc., we will leave that for some other time or some other contributor...
What are steel pennies?
Steel pennies are pennies made in 1943 during World War II because copper was needed to make artillery. The Mint took the copper out of pennies and replaced it with zinc-coated steel. Steel cents were made for a year but many people didn't like them because it was easy to mistake them for a dime. 15% of the steel pennies were sent back by the public and then the 15% was destroyed! Since they were only made in 1943 and are unusual they've disappeared from circulation, but over a billion were minted so they're still not rare - collectors and dealers have bins of them, usually selling for 25 cents to a dollar. Also some of these pennies were accidentally made out of copper and are extremely rare. Many fakes have been made by copper-plating genuine steel cents, but you can tell if you have one of these fakes because they're the only US coin that is magnetic. This coin (if you collect coins) is a very good addition to your collection because it has the most interesting back story! -CL
What is a 1943 Coper penny worth?
Over a million dollars if it is genuine. However, there are only a handful of known genuine 1943 copper pennies. Many "copper" 1943 pennies are either genuine 1943 cents dipped in copper to make them appear to be copper (but will still stick to a magnet due to the steel) or other years of wheat pennies with the date altered to make it look like a 1943 penny, however, experienced coin dealers and graders will be able to spot these as altered dates.
Who mints 100 percent copper pennies?
Nobody mints 100% copper pennies. These days, copper is far too expensive to be minting low denomination coins such as a Penny, and many countries that still produce their lowest single unit of currency coins, do so from steel. Even in the old days copper was alloyed with other metals to produce "copper" coins. The closest the Royal Mint ever came to producing a 100% copper coin was in 1944 and 1945 where the copper content got up to 97%. Usually it was 95% copper.
Do pennies include more than one kind of metal besides copper?
Very definitely. Copper is too expensive to use in pure or nearly pure form for such a low-denomination coin. Those few countries that still mint pennies / cents use other metals: US: Copper plating on a zinc core; net composition 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. Britain and the EU: Copper plating on a steel core, roughly similar percentages.
