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because it not supposed to be a lot of money so instead of making in silver or gold they made it copper!

MoreAt one time coins had to contain their face value in metal, minus a small amount to cover minting costs. As the previous answer noted, pennies aren't worth a lot so they had to be made from a cheaper metal. The more expensive metals would have been completely impractical. If a penny had been made out of silver, for example, it would have been about 1/4" in diameter while a gold one would have been so small you'd need tweezers to pick it up.

Today US cents (pennies) are made out of zinc with a copper coating because the price of copper has gone up so much that a penny would contain almost 2 cents worth of that metal.

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12y ago
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16y ago

Actually, cents are now made of zinc and simply coated with a thin layer of copper(*).

At one time all coins had to be made of metal that was worth the actual value of the coin, minus of course a small amount to cover the cost of making them. Copper was chosen for cents because it was inexpensive, easily worked, and you could make a reasonable-sized coin that contained a hair less than 1¢ worth of metal. Similarly, a dime had to contain a bit less than 10¢ worth of metal. Silver was the next most valuable metal that could easily be coined and carried a fixed intrinsic value that resulted in another reasonable-sized coin, so it was used for higher-value coins. BTW, the difference in metal value is why dimes are smaller than cents, even though they're worth more.

Back in the late 1700s nickel(*) was not used for coins because it was too hard to be easily minted using the relatively primitive presses and softer steel dies that were the only things available. It wasn't until the middle of the 19th century that dies and presses capable of striking nickel coins became available. By that point the idea of copper cents and silver (or silver-colored) higher-value coins had become pretty much ingrained, so the tradition has continued to today even though coins no longer have to contain their face value in metal.

Many countries, but not all, continue to use copper or copper-colored metal for their lowest denomination coins simply because of past history. Some use aluminum so their low-denomination coins are silver-colored, and others use still more distinct combinations. For example, European 5¢ pieces are copper-colored, while 10¢ pieces are brass-colored.

(*) Please note the spelling of these metals - it's copper and nickel

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9y ago

Believe it or not, the answer dates back to the 18th century. When America made its first coins they were required to contain their face value (denomination) worth of metal. Higher-value coins were silver or gold, but silver wasn't useful for low-value coins - a penny made of silver would have been about the diameter of a pencil! Instead, they were made of copper. Copper was inexpensive so 1¢ worth of copper would make a convenient size coin.

The first nickels were made in 1866. They're actually 75% copper and only 25% nickel. As with cents, the combination could be struck in a reasonable size and still be worth 5¢ in metal value.

Dimes, quarters, and halves continued to be made from silver until 1964. At that time the price of silver was deregulated and it became too expensive to use in coins so the Mint switched to the current "sandwich" composition consisting of a copper core clad with two layers of the same 75/25 alloy used in nickels. Cladding was chosen because it had a similar appearance to silver AND vending machines would accept the new coins without adjustments.

Eventually even the price of copper rose until pennies contained more than 1¢ worth of copper so the Mint switched to making the coins from zinc. Because cents had been copper-colored since those long-ago days in the 18th century the new zinc coins are plated with a thin layer of copper so they look the same as they always did.

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15y ago

In the early 1980s the price of copper increased to the point where a cent contained more than 1 cent worth of metal. The Mint had options of choosing one of several different, less expensive metals as a replacement but chose zinc after considerable lobbying by the zinc industry.

By the early 2000s the price of zinc had also gone up to the point where there was again more than a penny's worth of metal in the coin, so still cheaper metals such as steel are now being considered. Several other countries - Canada, the U.K., the EU - already have switched to copper-plated steel for their smallest coins.

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14y ago

Traditionally, the US penny (or, more properly, the US one cent coin) has been made of copper or copper with a small amount of zinc (except in 1943, when it was made of steel with a zinc coating). During 1982, as the price of copper meant that the "melt value" of the coin was more than one cent (that is, it had more than one cent's worth of copper), the decision was taken to produce the penny out of a cheaper metal - zinc. A coating of pure copper (equal to 2.5% of the total composition of the penny) was added so as not to change the appearance of the penny.

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14y ago

The composition of the US penny was changed in the middle of 1982 from 95% copper / 5% zinc to 97.5% zinc / 2.5% copper. With the rising price of copper, the penny was costing more than a penny to produce, and actually had more than a penny's worth of copper in it. Zinc was (and is) a less expensive metal than copper, but is not excessively light (like aluminum, another inexpensive metal) or magnetic (like steel). Note that the reformulated penny was produced with a pure zinc core coated with a thin layer of pure copper - thus leaving the appearance of the penny substantially unchanged.

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13y ago

in mid-1982. When the cost of the copper would have exceeded one cent, the US changed the penny to copper-plated zinc. You can identify these modern zinc cents because they do not "ring" when dropped onto a hard surface...mostly a dull thud.

EXCEPTIONS

The composition of US one-cent coins (the official name) was changed several times. While the earliest cents were entirely copper, later cents contained only 95% copper which was alloyed with zinc (bronze) or tin and zinc (brass). Before and during the US Civil War, cents had more than twice as much zinc as usual. During World War 2, brass was needed for military use and the 1943 cents were made of steel (these can be picked up with a magnet). This same necessity led to the use of silver in the nickels made from 1942 to 1945.

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12y ago

They're ideal coinage metals, especially when alloyed together. Both metals are plentiful, relatively inexpensive, and can readily be struck into coins that are hard enough to last 50 or more years.

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15y ago

The price of copper rose to the point where it cost more than 1 cent to make the coins.

There's more information at the Related Question.

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Q: Why are pennies the only ones made of copper?
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Why did they stop making pennies out of copper?

The US made pennies of copper (95%) in 1941 and 1942, and partially from old shell casings in 1944 and 1945 (so the copper content may have been slightly lower in those years). Only in 1943 were pennies made of steel (with a zinc coating) in an effort to save copper for use in the war effort. Probably because they needed copper for the world war 2 effort. ww2 the need for wiring in the military Short answer: The US was using all the coper for munitions used for WWII. copper was required for the war effort i.e. to make electrical cables


What is the chemical composition of pennies and dimes?

This answer is based on two assumptions: the question is regarding a United States penny and the term 'properties' is directed toward the metallic composition of the coin. According to the U.S. Mint, a penny is made up of 97.5% zinc and only a mere 2.5% copper, the reddish-brown color metal that gives a penny it's distinct appearance.


How can you use copper in every day life?

This native element is used in electric cables and wires, switches, plumbing, heating, roofing and building construction, chemical and pharmaceutical machinery, alloys (brass, bronze), electroplated protective coatings and cooking utensils.plumbing pipespennieselectrical wires


Where can a national seamless copper deposit casket be purchased?

These caskets are no longer made. They were originally made by National Casket Company but this company is no longer in business. The only ones left are found in funeral homes that have not sold them. Let me add the following information: Currently there is an ad of a copper deposit casket at http://www.nomispublications.com but it is doubtful if this is a model originally made by National. It does not look like that and the ad says "nickel plated copper deposit", which does not fit either. The closest equivalent which is currently available seems to be the "Marquis", a thermo-deposited bronze casket manufactured by the York / Matthews casket company.


Why soldering iron has copper tip?

Mainly because of the high heat conductivity of copper - the practical result of which is that the tip has a more uniform temperature than if it were made of only iron (i.e. unclad).

Related questions

Are all wheat pennies made of steel?

No, most wheat pennies are made of copper. Only the 1943 pennies were made from zinc coated steel. There were about 40 made from copper in 1943 and they bring up to $82,000 each!


Were all of King George II of England's Penny coins silver or were copper or bronze ones minted?

All British King George II Pennies were made from silver. Only Halfpennies and Farthings were made from copper.


Were any copper 1943 pennies made?

The 1943 copper Lincoln cents were made by error, only about 12 exist.


How much copper are pennies currently made of?

All most none only .008% Copper & .992% Zinc


What element is in pennies?

Copper


Is pennies made out of mica schist?

i thought they were made of copper and zincand it's are pennies made out of mica schist not is


Were all of King George I of England's Penny coins silver or were copper or bronze ones minted?

All British King George I pennies were made from sterling silver (92.5% silver). Only Halfpennies and Farthings were made from copper. Technically they are just "King George" pennies as he wasn't titled as George I until the coronation of George II.


How come a 1943 penny is worth so much?

It isn't. Normal 1943 pennies are worth 3-15 cents depending on condition because they are made out of steel and are collected even by non-collectors as curiosities. The only expensive 1943 pennies are the copper pennies which were made by mistake. When they turned on the machines to make the 1943 steel pennies, some copper blanks were left inside the machines and so a tiny amount of 1943 copper pennies were created by mistake. Since there might only be ~15 made, they are worth a lot. But an ordinary 1943 penny is only worth a few cents.


You have 50 pounds of pennies how much is this worth for the copper?

This will depend upon the year of the pennies, because the make-up of pennies is not only copper and has changed over the years.


When did they stop making solid copper pennies?

Solid copper pennies were last minted in 1857 and were much larger than today's penny. Pennies were made mostly of copper until mid-1982, when the composition was changed to 97.5% zinc with a plating of 2.5% copper. The only exception was in 1943 when wartime copper shortages forced the Mint to make pennies out of scrap steel. Bronze cents were resumed the next year, 1944.


Do 2010 pennies have some copper in them?

Yes, but not much. All US cents struck since the middle of 1982 are made of zinc, with copper plating so they still look like older pennies. By weight, 97.5% of the coin is zinc and only 2.5% is copper.


Are there any UK double headed pennies?

Only the ones made as magician's coins, the same as the ones in the U.S. and other countries.