what color is a zinc penny

Full Answer

How much zinc is in a penny?

These coins, which are still being produced today, contain 97.6 percent zinc and 2.4 percent copper. This coin is identical in size and appearance to the predominantly copper cent issued before 1982, but this modification saves the Government an estimated $25 million in metal costs every year.

How to tell if my Penny is copper or zinc?

• If it’s a genuine bronze cent it won’t stick to a magnet. If it does stick, it’s a plated 1943 steel cent.
• What does it weigh? If it weighs about 3.1 gm it’s bronze, but 2.7 gm for steel
• If the tail of the “3” in the date points sideways to the left, it’s a 1948 cent that’s been altered by scraping away the left side of the “8”. ...

How much is a zinc penny worth?

What is a zinc penny worth? All modern US pennies are zinc, coated with copper. They are all worth 1 cent. During WW2, steel pennies were minted. They are worth between 10 and 50 cents. 60 views View upvotes Related Answer Troy Hoffman , Python Developer (2014-present) Answered 4 years ago · Author has 2.3K answers and 4.5M answer views

Why is the Penny made of copper and not silver?

• Take your coin to a local coin dealer and have the dealer look at it. ...
• Take your coin to a local coin show and have several dealers look at it and give you their opinion. ...
• If a majority of the dealers think it is authentic, then you should invest the money and send it to a third-party grading service. ...

How can you tell if a penny is zinc?

If your Lincoln Memorial 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 and plated with a thin copper coating. For pennies dated 1982, when both copper and zinc cents were made, and best way to determine their composition is to weigh them.

What color is a zinc coated penny?

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

What color is a zinc coin?

Gray and black are the normal colours of old zinc, and never try to clean the oxidation off any coin.

Are zinc pennies lighter than copper pennies?

1982 pennies may have either mass. Since all pen- nies have an identical volume, a greater mass indicates a greater density. Copper is denser than zinc. (The density of Cu is 8.96 g/cm3, while that of Zn is 7.13 g/cm3.)

Are zinc pennies worth anything?

They are relatively common in excellent condition since people tended to save them when they were first issued because they were unusual. Unfortunately, a regular 1943 steel penny is worth only a few cents. As the 1943 steel pennies circulated, the zinc coating started to turn dark gray and almost black.

Why is my penny a different color?

When oxygen binds with copper, they form a new molecule known as copper oxide. Copper oxide is brownish or sometimes black in color (depending on other things in the penny's environment). This is why most pennies you see look dirty or tarnished—it's not actually dirt but copper oxide that makes them look so dull.

What color is a 1943 penny?

silver coloredThe War Effort and Metals In 1943 U.S. Mint produced the penny out of zinc plated steel to save copper for the war effort, so most 1943 pennies are silver colored.

How do I know if my 1943 penny is bronze?

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.

How can you tell if a penny is bronze or copper?

Try picking your coin up with a magnet. If your coin is attracted to the magnet, it is made of copper-plated steel (a fraud). If the magnet does not attract your coin, it may be made of bronze and you should have the coin authenticated to determine if it is the "real deal".

Are there gold pennies?

Generally, when people talk about a gold penny, they are talking about a normal penny that has been treated to give it a gold color. In some cases, however, a penny may actually have been plated with gold. And in some even rarer cases, a penny may have been struck accidentally on a blank of the wrong metal.

Is zinc more expensive than copper?

Copper can be aesthetically the most appealing of the metals, but also the most expensive. Zinc is the greenest of the materials due to its low melting point, but is also very expensive. Aluminum roofs offer a great solution in coastal regions, and is less expensive than Copper or Zinc.

What coins are made of zinc?

Pennies are made of copper-plated zinc, nickels are composed of a copper-nickel alloy and dollars have a copper core with manganese brass plating. The composition of U.S. coins has changed since the U.S. Mint began producing currency in 1793.

How to tell if a penny is copper?

How to tell if your penny is copper. There are several ways to tell if your penny is zinc or copper. First and most easily, if your penny is dated 1983 or later, it is zinc. For pennies dated 1982, it could be either zinc or copper. The simplest way to tell without using machinery is to weigh your penny with a scale that reads to the tenth ...

What was the 1943 penny made of?

In 1943, copper was heavily in demand to be used in war materials for World War II. Because of this, the 1943 penny was made of steel. There was a small amount of error pennies minted of copper in 1943. If you have a 1983 copper penny or 1943 copper penny, that could potentially be a rare and valuable find! We sort pennies into zinc pennies ...

Is a penny a copper penny?

In general, if your penny is dated 1959 to 1981 (with the exception of 1943 ), you can rest assured your penny is a copper penny. There are rare exceptions to the above for telling if your penny is zinc or copper. The U.S. mint had minted a small amount of error copper pennies in 1983.

The Story Behind The Lincoln Zinc Penny

When the plans came to change the metallic composition of the Lincoln cent, it wasn’t the first time the penny would have undergone a significant overhaul.

How Many Zinc Lincoln Cents Have Been Made?

You might be surprised to learn just how many zinc Lincoln cents are floating around out there. In fact, there are more than plenty to go around for every United States citizen.

Zinc Penny Minting Issues & Errors

The United States Mint does a pretty good job minting billions of coins every year — but the U.S. Mint isn’t perfect.

Why were pennies silver colored?

During World War II, the war effort required a lot of copper to make shell casings and munitions. In 1943 the penny was made out of zinc plated steel to save copper for the war effort which is why most 1943 pennies are silver colored. Metal was not the only commodity that was critical to the war effort.

What metal is used in the US pennies?

To help the war effort by eliminating copper from U.S. pennies, the United States Mint came up with a new metallic composition for the one cent piece. They decided on using steel for the base metal and plating it with pure zinc. Unfortunately, zinc oxidizes over time and turns into a dull and dark gray color.

How was steel made in the Mint?

Mint workers first rolled a sheet of steel to the proper thickness. Next, the steel sheet was plated with zinc and passed through a blanking press. The blanking press punched coin blanks punched out of it . The manufacturing process resulted in bare steel exposed on the edge of the coin.

What are 1943 silver pennies made of?

Most people believe that all pennies ever produced by the United States Mint are made of copper. Therefore, when someone finds one of these silver pennies in their pocket change, they believe they have come across a great rarity.

How much is a 1943 steel penny worth?

Value of a 1943 Steel Penny. They are worth about 10 to 13 cents each in circulated condition, and as much as 50 cents or more if uncirculated . The following table lists the buy price (what you can expect to pay to a dealer to purchase the coin) and sell value (what you can expect a dealer to pay you if you sell the coin).

Where were pennies made?

Philadelphia, Denver, and San Francisco all produced these ultra rare 1943 copper pennies. In 1944 the mint switched back to using copper to produce the pennies. Once again, the totes contained a few zinc-coated steel planchets stuck in the crevices.

What is Susan Penny?

Susan is an avid coin collector of over 30 years, and has written 150 articles for The Spruce. She is a member of the American Numismatic Association. One of the most unusual pennies produced by the United States Mint are the "1943 Silver Pennies.". Most people believe that all pennies ever produced by the United States Mint are made of copper.

How many grams are in a zinc penny?

If you weigh a zinc penny on a scale that can only register full 1 gram increments, the penny will usually display 3 grams, since the scale rounds the 2.5 gram zinc penny upwards to 3. The wrong type of scale can be misleading when you are trying to sort copper and zinc pennies.

What is the difference between copper and zinc pennies?

Zinc pennies have sort of a flat "clunk," whereas copper pennies have a higher-pitched, more melodious "ring" sound. Once you have a good feeling for how each type sounds, start dropping your 1982's one at a time, listening for the sound they make, and you should be able to sort them out by metal composition.

How much does a copper penny weigh?

Solid copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams (+/- 0.130 g.), whereas the copper plated zinc pennies weigh only 2.5 grams (+/- 0.100 g.).

What is a Lincoln penny made of?

If your Lincoln Memorial 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 and plated with a thin copper coating.

Why do people melt coins?

It has been the past experience in the United States that when the melt value of a coin exceeds its face value, people will melt the coins in order to sell the raw metal and make a profit. In an effort to thwart a melt off of pennies in 1982, the United States Mint made half of the pennies out of solid copper and the other half out ...

Can you drop coins on a hard surface?

Only use the drop test on circulating pennies where you are sorting copper and zinc for the bullion value only. Never drop collectible uncirculated or Proof coins in this fashion to test them, since dropping pennies on a hard surface might cause minor damage that can make a collectible coin less valuable.

Is it illegal to melt pennies?

Although it is illegal to melt pennies and sell the raw metal, people still pull the solid copper pennies out of circulation in order to save them for their copper value. Illustration: Allie Folino. © The Spruce, 2019.

Check The Date on The Penny.

Weigh The Penny.

Look at The Color of The Penny.

• You cantell zinc pennies apart from copper pennies by their colorwhen looking at them side by side: 1. A worn copper pennyusually has a chocolate brown appearance or a deep warm, orange hue. 2. A zinc pennytypically has more uneven toning — which can often make the surface look somewhat spotted.

See more on coins.thefuntimesguide.com

Listen to The Sound It Makes When You Drop it.