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Home » Hobbies & Crafts » Copper vs. Zinc Pennies: Here’s How To Tell If You Have A Copper Penny Or A Zinc Penny

Copper vs. Zinc Pennies: Here’s How To Tell If You Have A Copper Penny Or A Zinc Penny

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Do you know how to tell a copper penny from a zinc penny?

It’s not as difficult as you might think.

Following are 4 ways to tell if you have a copper penny or a zinc penny…

 

#1 – Check the date on the penny.

Here’s the rule of thumb:

  • Pennies dated before 1982 were made of copper (technically, 95% copper and 5% zinc).
  • Pennies dated after 1982 were made of zinc (technically, 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper).

But 1982 pennies are unique — because both copper and zinc pennies were made that year!

If you have a 1982 penny, it could be either a copper penny or a zinc penny. The U.S. Mint made the 1982 penny in both copper and zinc varieties.

So you’ll have to use one or more of the following 3 techniques to see if your 1982 penny is made of copper or zinc.

 

#2 – Weigh the penny.

You can tell zinc pennies apart from copper pennies by their weight when using a gram scale:

  • A copper penny weighs 3.11 grams.
  • A zinc penny weighs 2.5 grams.

You can see the 2 types of pennies’ weight differences described in this video:

 

#3 – Look at the color of the penny.

You can tell zinc pennies apart from copper pennies by their color when looking at them side by side:

  • A worn copper penny usually has a chocolate brown appearance or a deep warm, orange hue.
  • A zinc penny typically has more uneven toning — which can often make the surface look somewhat spotted.

 

#4 – Listen to the sound it makes when you drop it.

You can tell zinc pennies from copper pennies by listening for a ‘clicking sound’ or a ‘ringing sound’ when you drop them onto a hard surface — like a table:

  • A copper penny ‘rings.’
  • A zinc penny ‘clicks.’

You can hear the different sounds that the 2 types of pennies make when they’re dropped in this video:

So there you go!… Now you know how to tell a copper penny from a zinc penny yourself!

Lynnette
Lynnette

I like to help people find unique ways to do things in order to save time & money — so I write about “outside the box” ideas that most wouldn’t think of. As a lifelong dog owner, I often share my best tips for living with and training dogs. I worked in Higher Ed over 10 years before switching gears to pursue activities that I’m truly passionate about. I’ve worked at a vet, in a photo lab, and at a zoo — to name a few. I enjoy the outdoors via bicycle, motorcycle, Jeep, or RV. You can always find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).

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Filed Under: Coin Collecting 101, Hobbies & Crafts Tagged With: Lincoln Cents, Pennies

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About Me

JoshuaI'm the Coin Editor here at TheFunTimesGuide. My love for coins began when I was 11 years old. I primarily collect and study U.S. coins produced during the 20th century. I'm a member of the American Numismatic Association (ANA) and the Numismatic Literary Guild (NLG) and have won multiple awards from the NLG for my work as a coin journalist. I'm also the editor at CDN Publishing (a trusted source for the price of U.S. rare coins), editor at the Florida United Numismatists Club (FUN Topics magazine), and author of Images of America: The United States Mint in Philadelphia (a book that explores the colorful history of the Philadelphia Mint). I've contributed hundreds of articles for various coin publications including COINage, The Numismatist, Numismatic News, Coin Dealer Newsletter, Coin Values, and CoinWeek. I've also authored nearly 1,000 articles here at The Fun Times Guide to Coins (many of them with over 50K shares), and I welcome your coin questions in the comments below!

Joshua: View My Blog Posts

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