In addition to copper, wheat cents also contain a small amount of tin- about 1% or less of the total metal content.
Their composition is slightly different than the more common Lincoln memorial cents. In 1959 the government changed over to the Lincoln Memorial design. Lincoln wheat cents are easy to spot, you can check the date and see the 'wheat design' on the back of the coin. However the copper Lincoln memorial coins will be from 1959-1981, with some copper coins minted in 1982. This design was minted from the years 1959-2008. It has Abraham Lincoln on the front and the Lincoln Memorial on the back. The Lincoln Memorial design is common and recognizable. There are several different types of copper pennies that you may encounter. We only recommend doing the sound test if you don't have a gram scale. The weight test is a lot more accurate than the sound test. Once you can clearly tell the difference then you can start sorting your coins. Copper has a more high pitched 'ring' sound, where as zinc has a flat 'click' sound. Take each coin and drop it on the hard surface and listen to the sound that it makes. Sound Testįor this test you will need a hard surface such as a granite countertop, as well as a genuine copper penny and a genuine zinc penny.
For example, a scale with 1 gram increments would round down the copper weight to 3 grams and round up the zinc weight to 3 grams. Remember that this test won't work if your scale is only accurate to 1 gram. Copper pennies weigh 3.11 grams and zinc pennies weigh 2.5 grams. Just put your coin on the scale and see what the weight is. If you have a gram scale that is accurate to at least. So both versions were made in 1982, but it's easy to tell the difference with a few basic tests. If it's after 1982 then it's zinc.ġ982 was the year that the US government switched the one cent coins from copper to zinc. If the date is before 1982 then it's copper. However there are a few different tests you can do. The easiest way to tell the difference is to check the date. It can be hard to tell because the Lincoln Memorial Design has both copper and zinc coins. Learn more about these coins below.Ĭopper and zinc pennies can look roughly the same. The modern pennies after the year 1982 are 97.5% zinc and only 2.5% copper.Ĭopper pennies are getting harder to find as people are searching their change and storing the pre-1982 pennies. Because of their copper content, these coins are worth about twice their face value. Do you have any old pennies on hand? If so then you could have some copper pennies.
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