Penny Drama

The materials used to make coins have changed as the prices for the materials have changed. Some of the most significant changes have occurred to the US cent coin, also known as the penny.

Penny Material by Date

1793-1837: Pure copper

1837-1857: 95% copper + 5% zinc + small amounts of tin

1857-1846: 88% copper + 12% nickel

(Briefly in 1943 pennies were made from steel because copper was being used to make ammunition casings used in WWII)

1846-1962: 95% copper + 5% zinc + small amounts of tin

1962-1982: 95% copper + 5% zinc

1982-Current Penny: 97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper

The main reason for the change from mostly copper to mostly zinc is due to the rising price of copper. Now, if a copper 1-cent coin is melted and the metal sold, it would be worth 1.47 cents. This means that you can technically make money by melting down coins, which is a huge problem. (Destroying legal tender is illegal) It seems that zinc prices are also on the rise, and so soon the zinc in a penny may be worth more than 1 cent. Some have proposed to use aluminium as a last resort, but others say it’s better to stop using pennies. What do you think?

Image Citation: N.d. Periodic Table. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. <http://www.periodictable.com/Items/030.31/index.html>.