Expert: Cameron Kiefer - 6/29/2006

Question

-------------------------

Followup To

Question -
HELLO CAMERON...HOW ARE YOU? I HOPE FINE. MY QUESTION TO YOU IS IF YOU CAN ANSWER FOR ME IS THE COPPER CONTENT IN ALL THE YEARS OF US 1 CENT PENNIES. I ONCE REMEMBER READING ABOUT A US PENNEY WHEN LOOKING IT UP, TO SEE IF IT HAD ANY REAL VALUE, THAT THE PENNEY COMPOSITION ( % OF COPPER) IN US PENNEYS HAS CHANGED THROUGH THE YEARS. IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY THERE WAS A PERCENTAGE OF WHAT WAS KNOWN AS "FRENCH BRONZE", A SMALL AMOUNT MIXED IN THROUGH CERTAIN YEARS ?...THIS QUESTION WAS BROUGHT ABOUT THROUGH SCRAPPING COPPER ELECTRICAL WIRE TO THE SCRAP YARDS. I CORRENTLY WORK FOR AN ELECTRICAN THAT CAN NOT BELEIVE THE INCREASE IN THE PRICE OF WIRE, BUT THROWS AWAY "ALL" OF HIS WASTE WIRE AND JOKES ABOUT MELTING DOWN PENNEYS. THE CONVERSATION CONTINUED AND I MENTIONED THAT THROUGH THE YEARS THERE WERE DIFFERENT ALLOYS ADDED TO COPPER PENNEYS AND NOT LIKE THE COPPER CLAD PENNEYS MINTED TODAY WHICH ARE MOSTLY ZINC...PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS QUESTION FOR ME TO "SHUT THEM UP FOR ONCE'. "EVEN THE RAIN STOPS!" IT'S REALLY GETTING ANOYING!...THIS WILL PROBABLY LEAD TO SCRAPING HIS WASTE INSTEAD OF THROWING IT OUT...REALLY APPRECIATE IT AND THANKS!    JOHN

Answer -
Hi John,

Here is the copper content for the Lincoln cent:

1959-1962 - .950 copper, .050 tin and zinc

1963-1982 - .950 copper, .050 zinc (no tin)

1982-present - core is 99.2% zinc, .08% copper

Cameron Kiefer

HI CAMERON...DOIN?...HOPE FINE!...CAMERON, THANKS BUT THIS WE KNOW. WHAT I'm IN NEED TO KNOW IS THE ALLOY CONTENT FROM THE CONSEPTION OF THE "PENNEY".WAY BACK, AROUND THE EARLY 1800's THRU THE YEARS TO 1959. YOU KNOW, THE ONE'S YOU DON'T SEE ANY MORE EXCEPT MAYBE IN A MUSEUM...I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE FIRST US PENNEY WAS MINTED IN QUANTITY. PLEASE RESPOND...AND THANKS!...JOHN

Answer
Hi John,

There are a lot of different wieghts and amounts of copper, nickel and brass mixtures for the large Cents of the 1800's.  Instead of listing them all I would suggest you go to your local library or book store and check out a book called:  A Guide Book Of United States Coins by R. S. Yeoman.  It lists every US coin type, weights, mixtures, and values for every date.  

Cameron  Kiefer