Take a good look at the date, I'm sure it's a 1948 coin that's had the eight altered trying to make it look like a three, this is a very old trick. Only 10 examples of the 1943 cents struck on Bronze planchets exist.
No, quartz is harder than copper and can scratch it. However, a copper penny is typically made of a copper-zinc alloy that is harder than pure copper, so it might be more resistant to scratching by quartz but it is still possible.
The penny is made out of copper.
British copper Pennies were last minted in 1860. If you have a Penny that old in good condition, you might be better off taking it to a reputable coin dealer for a valuation. Alternatively, the scrap value might be a few pence.
Copper
Copper pennies (95% copper, 5% zinc) weigh 3.11 grams. Modern zinc pennies (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) weigh 2.5 grams.
A penny.
PENNY
A 1993 penny is composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. Therefore, the percentage of copper in a 1993 penny is 2.5%.
A penny
What you have isn't copper, but you have a steel penny that is starting to rust. In that condition it is only worth about 2-3 cents or so. If uncirculated it might be worth a dollar or two. They are fairly common.
A 1983 penny is made of 95% copper and 5% zinc. The actual weight of copper in a 1983 penny is approximately 2.5 grams.
did they make 1982 copper penny by mistake