How to Tell If Your Penny is Copper or Zinc (2024)

FAQs

How can I tell if my penny is copper? ›

The easiest way to determine if a 1943 cent is made of steel, and not copper, is to use a magnet. If it sticks to the magnet, it is not copper. If it does not stick, the coin might be of copper and should be authenticated by an expert.

So for the past 30 years, pennies have been made with an alloy comprised of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, but pennies minted before 1982 are 95% copper and 5% zinc. The price of copper has more than quadrupled over the past 10 years.

Pennies are made of zinc coated with copper. Only nickels are one solid material—that same 75% copper/25% nickel alloy.

No. Copper or copper and zinc (pennies since 1972) are not magnetic metal. However, steel pennies made during World War II could be magnetized and are attracted to magnets.

The 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most enigmatic coins in American numismatics — and reportedly the most valuable Lincoln penny of all.

When copper is exposed to oxygen, it forms molecules called copper oxide that make pennies look dirty. Pouring vinegar over the pennies helps break up this copper oxide and expose the pure copper on the penny. As the penny dries and is exposed to the air, a chemical reaction occurs and the penny turns green!

Copper atoms can combine with oxygen atoms from the air to make a molecule called copper oxide. The pennies looked dull and dirty because they were covered with copper oxide. Why did the vinegar and salt clean the pennies? Copper oxide dissolves in a mixture of weak acid and table salt-and vinegar is an acid.

You want to focus on hoarding pre-1982 U.S. pennies, which contain 95% copper content, making the coin at least twice as valuable as its 1 cent face value. (Post-1982 pennies are not worth collecting, as they contain only 2.5% copper content -- the rest is zinc.)

What year penny is worth $1000000? ›

1943-S Lincoln Cent Sells for $1 Million.

Pennies and nickels contain copper, zinc, and other metals that are of great monetary value. It is because of this that melting down these metals for the sole intention of selling to offshore or local metal scraping industries is illegal.

These silver-colored 1943 cents are not rare to come by, thus fetching low prices of 10-13 cents for circulated conditions and 50+ cents when uncirculated. The penny's worth relates to its actual face value; that's one cent.

Each 1¢ penny is worth approximately 2.3860¢ in scrap metal.

Melt value of a ≤1982 penny.

The composition of pennies changed in late 1982, when zinc became the primary metal instead of copper. Before 1982, pennies were forged of 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc. However, as copper became more expensive, it was abandoned as the primary metal. Pennies are now made of a zinc core and a thin copper coating.

1943 copper cent

Examples were discovered after the War, with the first two in 1947, and another in 1958.

The Rare 1943 Penny

If your 1943 penny is made out of copper, it is worth quite a bit of money, generally $10,000 or more! The reason is that the 1943 copper penny is an error coin. The United States Mint accidentally used the wrong planchet metal when striking the coin. But very, very few of these left the U.S.

It is a well known fact that pennies minted from 1982 and back are made of 95% copper. These copper pennies are not rare at all.

Pennies used to be made from 95% copper, at least until 1982. 1 Since 2000, the price of copper has risen dramatically, making the meltdown value of these pennies more than the face value of the coin.

How do I know if my penny is valuable? ›

Although many factors determine the exact value of a coin, you can quickly determine the value of your penny by knowing its type, date, mintmark, and grade. Additionally, the value of a particular coin can vary between markets and coin dealers.

Prices range from around 20 cents in circulated condition, to 35 cents in uncirculated.

A Massachusetts man's rare 1943 Lincoln penny could be worth over a million dollars. The 1943 penny was minted in steel due to Copper being a valuable material for the war effort.

The coin in question is a penny from 1909. If you find a 1909 penny with an S on the front and the letters VDB on the back at the bottom, it could be worth nearly $1,000.

$0.0253525 is the melt value for the 1909-1982 copper cent on December 13, 2022.

These coins are cleaned by using distilled water with a small amount of detergent in a special vibrating container. Acid based cleaners will eat away at a coin's surface diminishing its value.

If your coins are still dirty, you can fill the plastic container with a 1-inch layer of warm water. Next, add a squirt of dishwashing liquid and agitate the water to create bubbles. Add the coins, and rub each one until the surface looks shiny. Rinse with warm water, then dry.

There is no benefit to attempting to clean a collectible coin. Copper never re-tones to its original color and look anyway. Put down the polish before you destroy something historical and throw away a fortune.

Does co*ke clean coins? ›

Yes, that refreshing can of co*ke that you like to drink by the pool can also clean coins. co*ke's phosphoric acid can clean the oxides that cause tarnish and corrosion.

Hydrogen peroxide can prove effective in removing various materials, including organic material. To clean using this method, place your coins in a small plastic container, fill with enough hydrogen peroxide to cover, and soak for 24 hours.

In a plastic container like those for storing your leftover foods or a small child sized bucket, add 1 cup of white vinegar and soak 4-5 coins in it. The longer you leave them to soak, the better the effect of the vinegar will be. For coins that are more than 50% corroded, it's advisable to soak them overnight.

It is not illegal to melt, form, destroy, or otherwise modify US coins, including pennies, unless the objective is fraudulent or with the intent of selling the raw materials of the coins for profit.

This is where the heads up for luck and tails for bad luck comes from. If you find a penny with the “good” side up, pick it up. If the “bad” side is up, leave it be. If you inadvertently pick up a “tails up” penny, avoid the bad luck by putting it back down heads up to help the luck of someone else.

Did you know that pennies in the United States have been made from a variety of materials, other than copper? In the past, pennies were made of 100% copper and even steel, but pennies made in 1982 and later are copper-plated zinc.

In 1982, the fast-rising price of copper forced the U.S. Mint to change the composition of the penny to primarily zinc, with pure copper plating.

You want to focus on hoarding pre-1982 U.S. pennies, which contain 95% copper content, making the coin at least twice as valuable as its 1 cent face value. (Post-1982 pennies are not worth collecting, as they contain only 2.5% copper content -- the rest is zinc.)

To "revive" some of the original beauty, some unscrupulous coin dealer's started to re-plate the steel pennies with a fresh zinc coating. Although these pennies show a brilliant shine, they are considered damaged coins and carry little to no value.

Is zinc worth more than a penny? ›

Zinc is worth $4,330.85 per ton. This translates to $4.33 per kilogram and around $1.96 per pound. Based on the prices, a penny is currently worth $0.030282, or more than triple its monetary value. While making two pennies on every penny melted down doesn't sound like a huge win, it could add up quickly.

There is one notable difference. Copper-plated coins are attracted to magnets because of the iron content of the steel core, whereas bronze coins are not magnetic.

Bronze is a mixture (alloy) of mostly copper with about 12% tin, and sometimes small amounts of nickel (nickel can make it very slightly magnetic but, generally, bronze is not magnetic).

The penny develops a zinc “silver-colored” coating.

For pennies dated 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, and best way to determine their composition is to weigh them . Solid copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams (+/- 0.130 g.), whereas the copper plated zinc pennies weigh only 2.5 grams (+/- 0.100 g.).

The 1982-D small date bronze Lincoln cent is a rare and valuable transitional error! So, how do you find them? There are two key diagnostics: the size of the date and the coin's weight. The 1982-D small date bronze weighs about 3.1 grams, versus only 2.5 grams for the far more common zinc issue.

The 1943 copper-alloy cent is one of the most enigmatic coins in American numismatics — and reportedly the most valuable Lincoln penny of all.