“Find a penny pick it up, all day long you’ll have good luck.” Except when you find one jammed in your washing machine. That’s not good luck.
I found that 2019 penny — or what was left of it — lodged in a crevice of our washing machine tub. With needle-nosed pliers, I carefully pulled it out, reminiscent of the game “Operation,” although a buzzer didn’t go off and I didn’t get shocked. That may have been good luck. I was glad to have the washing machine working properly again, but what I was even more intrigued with was what was left of the penny I found.
Like many of you, I knew pennies were no longer made of 100% copper, but I didn't know how or when that happened. The spin cycle on the washer wore the finish off Honest Abe’s face on the jammed penny, and the evidence then peered through.
All copper? Hardly.
Once the thin copper shell wore off, a zinc disc appeared. This composition apparently became the standard in 1983, but there were other times in our nation’s history when pennies were produced of materials other than copper, too. For example, steel cents were used during World War II. And 1982 was a bit of a mixed bag, as those pennies may be of either a 95% copper alloy or zinc with copper plating.
Of course, you are wondering if an all-copper penny is worth more than one cent. The pricing varies, but the current melt value of a copper penny is about two cents.
The weight of pennies has changed through the years, too. From 1793-1795, the penny weighed 13.48 grams. Today it weighs 2.5 grams, less than one-fifth of its original. Penny wise and pound foolish, you might say.
All of this information isn’t worth two cents to most of you, but keep one thing in mind: A penny saved may not be a penny earned.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com | 
