How Can You Tell If a Penny is Made From Copper?

Answer 1

Take one of each, an older copper penny, and one of the newer copper-clad zinc ones, and from about two feet up, drop them on a table, one after the other.

Copper is a metal, so the pennies made mainly *of* metal will *ring* like metal when dropped.

Zinc...isn't quite a metal, more metal-like, with some residual mineral properties. Point is, if you drop a copper-clad Zinc Penny from any height, it *won't* ring, it will mostly click, or make a dull, not-quite metal noise. I've had friends compare it to dropping a real coin (the copper, metal one) and a fake plastic arcade token....

Simple huh? Granted, it also depends on the surface you drop them on, but by and large, if a penny isn't *made* of metal, it usually won't *ring* like it is when dropped. ;)

Hope this helps. :) Have a good evening!

Answer 2

Get a pre-1982 penny and a post 1983 penny. Drop them both on a hard surface. Now you know how to tell by sound. The newer zinc ones have a dull thud while the copper ones have a distinctive ring.

Answer 3

The pennies before 1982 were made of 95% copper 5% zinc and weigh 3.11 grams. The pennies made after 1982 are made of zinc and weigh 2.5 grams. In 1982 both copper and zinc pennies were made so you have to weigh them.

Answer 4

Copper is a reddish-coloured metal, with a high electrical and thermal conductivity (among pure metals at room temperature, only silver has a higher electrical conductivity). In oxidation copper is mildly basic. Copper has its characteristic colour because it reflects red and orange light and absorbs other frequencies in the visible spectrum, due to its band structure. Contrast this with the optical properties of silver, gold and aluminium.

U.S. Pennies are 2.5% copper by weight (Balance zinc 97.5%).

Go to the US Mint with a very large bag of pennies.
Tell the guard at the door that you will give him the bag of pennies if he will tell you if they are made of copper.

Answer 5

with the exception of 1948, all pennies have some copper content on them - the current ones are 2% copper.

Answer 6

If your penny has a date before 1982, it is made of 95% copper. If the date is 1983 or later, it is made of 97.5% zinc, with a thin copper coating, or "clad."

For pennies minted in 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, the safest and best way to tell their composition is to weigh them. Copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams, whereas the zinc pennies weigh only 2.5 grams.

Answer 7

About the 1943 pennies - Rumour has it that a very few of them were made of copper. So - if you find one of those - they are worth $$$$.

Good hunting! (I've only ever seen the steel ones that our friend referred to, above.....but I keep an eye open for the copper ones.) :o)

Answer 8

Good answers there...but for the hell of it....1943 pennies were made of steel....so hrumph

Answer 9

hm Ive forgotten the date, but before a certin date they were all copper, after that they were not, but it would be pretty old

Answer 10

You need to shove it up your @ss. If it turns a greenish color, then it is made from copper.