Pennies made before 1982 are 95% copper and contain more than a cent's worth of metal. Here is their live copper value.
| 1 copper penny | face $0.01 | $0.04 |
| Roll of 50 | face $0.50 | $2.18 |
| $5 face (500 pennies) | face $5.00 | $21.79 |
| $25 face (2,500 pennies) | face $25.00 | $108.97 |
| $100 face (10,000 pennies) | face $100.00 | $435.89 |
A pre-1982 penny contains about 2.95 g of copper, worth $0.0436 at today's copper price of $6.692/lb, roughly 4.4 cents.
Pennies dated 1959–1981 are 95% copper. 1982 pennies can be either: copper ones weigh 3.11 g and zinc ones 2.5 g. From 1983 on, all are copper-plated zinc.
No. Since 2006, US Mint rules (31 CFR Part 82) prohibit melting or treating one-cent and five-cent coins, and limit exporting them. Collecting and holding copper pennies is legal.
The US Mint stopped producing pennies for circulation in 2025, but existing pennies remain legal tender.