2007-01-22 10:27:17 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Games & Recreation ➔ Hobbies & Crafts
The one cent piece (penny) was made of primarily copper and had an intrinsic value of 1/100th of a dollar the dime was made primarily of silver and had an intrinsic value of 10/100th of a dollar. Since silver is more value than copper the dime had a smaller size.
The composition of both coins has changed dramatically over the last 45 years so that the intrinsic values do not relate to each other any more. But because the dimension are designated by Federal statute they sizes have remained the same.
Hope this helps.
2007-01-22 11:49:18 · answer #1 · answered by BD in NM 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The penny was originally made out of a less expensive material (copper) than the dime (silver).
2007-01-22 10:31:18 · answer #2 · answered by Athos 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
BD in NM is right. The person that told you the cent is copper coated silver, needs to read more on coins. It used to be people wanted there coins to be actually worth the stated value. People in the early days of this country really disliked the cent and 1/2 cent, due to they were very large. The government took a chance in 1857 and came out will the Flying Eagle cent, about the same size as our cents today. The people liked the design and it's size and didn't mind it was really not worth a cent in metal value. I guess the government in 1965, felt they could pull another one and all our coins were changed to have nowhere near their value in the metal in them. In order to not cause confusion they left the coins the same as before. There is a law on size and weights. To be fair though, silver and copper had gone so high is price, the mint could not make coins in those metals any longer without the coin costing more to mint, than it's value.
2007-01-22 12:30:20 · answer #3 · answered by Taiping 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dimes were originally made of silver, which was and is worth more than copper. Inflation reduced the worth of a dime to less than the value of the silver in it, so dimes no longer contain that metal.
2007-01-22 11:47:10 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The metal copper used for pennies costs less then the metal used for dimes. I think size depends on the president on the coin. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR. Chronological order. That's one funny theory.
2007-01-22 10:36:30 · answer #5 · answered by hobbitgonewild 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The penny is copper coated with silver insides. And a Dime is pure silver. Silver costing more than copper makes a Dime more valuable. = ) yup
2007-01-22 10:31:01 · answer #6 · answered by Malice 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A penny is made of copper.. and a dime isn't. thats why.
2007-01-22 10:30:28 · answer #7 · answered by Mandi Jo 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because coins used to contain their face value in whatever metal they were made of. pennies had one cent worth of copper, nickels had 2 cents worth of nickel etc
2007-01-22 10:32:46 · answer #8 · answered by momoftrl 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
copper is less expensive
2007-01-22 10:31:50 · answer #9 · answered by thebus223 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
because they made it that way
2007-01-22 10:30:28 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋