The US made pennies of copper (95%) in 1941 and 1942, and partially from old shell casings in 1944 and 1945 (so the copper content may have been slightly lower in those years). Only in 1943 were pennies made of steel (with a zinc coating) in an effort to save copper for use in the war effort.
Probably because they needed copper for the World War 2 effort.
ww2 the need for wiring in the military Short answer: The US was using all the coper for munitions used for WWII. copper was required for the war effort i.e. to make electrical cables
They stopped when they realized it cost more to make the penny then the penny was worth. Any one could just get pennies, melt them down, and sell them for more than the pennies were worth.
Copper is a strong metal because pennies are made from copper and you can't bend a penny.
Not very much, just don't eat pennies.
Totally-it's not radioactive or anything. Old pennies are copper so is modern plumbing. if it wasn't safe, we'd all be in trouble.
You can also turn pennies and some other coins green by letting them sit overnight in a paper towel soaked in vinegar. and if you want to clan pennies to shine, put them in a cup of vinegar and salt dissolved. (I once tried cleaning them with a pinch of kosher salt instead and it dug a hole through the penny! -NOT RECOMENDED!!!)
Oxygen will make it impure and will react with the copper making it copper oxide, which isnt as conductive as copper alone
Due to the rising price of copper, pennies were worth more than face value.
Pennies were never PURE copper. Those made before 1982 were 95% copper with 5% zinc (or zinc with tin in older ones).
1943-45
1860 The last copper pennies were made in England, and the same year the first bronze pennies were made.
copper is too expensive and limited.
Making pennies!
Solid copper pennies were last minted in 1857 and were much larger than today's penny. Pennies were made mostly of copper until mid-1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5% zinc with a plating of 2.5% copper. The only exception was in 1943 when wartime copper shortages forced the Mint to make pennies out of scrap steel. Bronze cents were resumed the next year, 1944.
they still make pennies
The price of the copper used to make a penny cost more than a penny.
The last year for wheat pennies was 1958.
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!
This change happened in 1974. See the related question below for more information.