The penny, officially known as the cent, is a coin in the United States representing one-hundredth of a dollar. It has been the lowest face-value physical unit of U.S. currency since the abolition of the half-cent in 1857. · What are Pennies made of? Pennies are thought to be primarily copper due to their color, but they also contain an alloy, which became the standard in 1983. · Since 1982, pennies have been made primarily of zinc, composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper plating. Before this change, pennies were made of 95% copper and 5% zinc, a composition used from 1962 to 1982. Since 1982, the current one-cent coin, also known as the Penny, is composed of a zinc core (97.5%) with a thin outer coating of copper (2.5%). In 1982, Penny became less popular as copper grew more valuable than the amount used in its composition. · What Are Pennies Made Of? The modern United States penny is made from 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, a dramatic change from the pure copper composition of America's earliest cents. The coin was larger and made of pure copper, while today’s smaller coin is made of copper and zinc. Liberty stayed on the penny for more than 60 years. In 1857, the coin got smaller and the metal composition changed to 88% copper and 12% nickel. With these changes came new designs. · Though pennies may seem commonplace, the combination of metals that make up the coin is anything but ordinary. If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: pennies are made primarily of zinc, with a copper coating comprising around 2.5% of the coin’s weight.
