For Lincoln cents, 1982 was a landmark year.

The U.S. Mint made the most significant switch in the composition of circulating coinage since 17 years earlier, when silver was removed from the U.S. dime and quarter and drastically reduced in the half dollar.

In 1982, the value of copper actually began to exceed the face value of the cent. For well over a century (except for certain, short composition changes as seen with the 1943 steel cents and "shell-case" cents of 1944-1946), the U.S. Mint had been striking cents which had a composition of 95% copper and 5% zinc and tin.

Everything changed nearly with a complete reversal in copper prominence in cents during 1982, when the U.S. Mint started striking cents with a core 99.2% comprised of zinc and .8% copper, with the cent bearing a thin outer coating of pure copper. In fact, the entire coin had become almost entirely made from zinc -- 97.5% zinc, to be precise. Copper now comprised just 2.5% of the total metal content in the new Lincoln cents.

One of the most interesting varieties the U.S. Mint created over its decades of producing Lincoln cents came in 1943. That's when the Mint, pursuant to 1942's Public Law 815, temporarily suspended use of copper in pennies to ration the metal for use in war materials.

Thus, 1943 Lincoln cents were struck with a steel core which was coated with a thin plating of zinc. Zinc, by the way, is currently used in the core of all Lincoln cents struck since 1982. These steel pennies have a weight of 2.70 grams, as opposed to 3.11 grams for typical copper pennies.

Steel pennies generally have a white top silvery appearance, though many have corroded over the years. It is also common to find some worn steel cents with rust, or in colors ranging from black to gray.

Wheat pennies have been a popular coin to "snag" out of circulation ever since the Memorial design on the reverse of the Lincoln penny replaced the two wheat stalks in 1959.

While wheat pennies are getting increasingly hard to find with each passing year, they are still located in pocket change occasionally, and many people have wheat pennies by the hundreds -- and even thousands -- in penny jars, clothes drawers, attic boxes, and coin collections.

In general, most wheat pennies are worth only a few cents (perhaps 10 cents) if worn and of a highly common date and mint mark combination. However, many are quite valuable. In fact, some of the scarcest wheat cents are downright expensive -- costing into the hundreds of dollars in the most worn condition.

Those collecting coins from pocket change are probably wondering:

What kinds of coins can I find in circulation?

While it is theoretically possible to find any legal tender coin in circulation, including old and even rare issues, the likelihood of finding such coins in your pocket change is small (but not impossible).

This brings us to remember that the grand majority of the coins to be found in circulation today are primarily from among the cent, nickel, dime, and quarter denominations, and are usually coins struck from sometime during the last few decades.

Half-dollars have not been regularly seen in circulation in many years (but can be found at banks), and dollar coins have yet to reach their circulation potential -- many can be found at banks, some stores, and certain vending machines which operate for transit authorities and the U.S. Postal Service.

The Lincoln penny is one of the world's most recognizable coins and, in 2009, it will be marking two significant occasions:

The Lincoln cent will be turning 100 years old.

The United States will be celebrating the bicentennial of the man whose bust has appeared on the coin for the past century: Abraham Lincoln.

It’s surprising what ends up in your pocket as change received from a simple purchase. 

For years, I’ve maintained the habit of checking my change for anything of interest before putting it in my pocket to be recycled and spent on the next purchase.

What the heck is a non-commemmorative commemorative coin? Well, there are 2 in particular that several people have come here trying to find information about.

I call them non-commemorative commemoratives because they were made to commemorate or celebrate something, however, they were not made by the U.S. mint -- so they cannot actually be true commemoratives.

The 2 most common ones that we see on this site are:

• the Lincoln memorial pennies with a portrait of JFK stamped onto them; and

• the Lincoln memorial pennies with a liberty bell stamped on them (which usually comes with a tiny map also).

The Lincoln penny has gone through a few changes over the years, and now it looks like there is another change on the horizon for this coin.

The Lincoln cent was first introduced in 1909 when it replaced the Indian head cent. The Lincoln penny was initially created to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.

Now, with the year 2009 and Lincoln's 200th anniversary approaching, it appears that there are big changes in store for the Lincoln penny. That's right, the penny you know today may soon be gone forever.

Chances are, you have probably run across a few pieces of coin jewelry in your time.

Coin jewelry is any coin that has been altered due to drilling, cutting, faceting, plating, or all of the above.

Is it legal? Is it worth anything?

In a previous article I wrote about coin folders and gave some suggestions on how to collect coins using them.

But maybe you found or inherited a folder that's already complete, or you just completed your own.

How much is it worth?