Copper pennies have recently end up being the new “precious” metal, worth a huge 2 cents per coin. It’s nothing beats the high worth of gold, nor the lower importance of silver, but copper has several desperate investors choose the lowly penny for potentially huge future profits. But exactly what the copper penny collector finds frustrating would be that the last cent crafted from copper was minted in 1982, and many more were minted with zinc exactly the same year.

Among the 18 billion pennies minted in 1982, copper and zinc cents are still the largest amount of cents in circulation. So, how can a copper penny collector know if a 1982 cent is crafted from copper or zinc?

As a seasoned coin sorter, I usually open a roll of pennies and start examining the dates. Lincoln/Memorial pennies minted from 1909-1982 are crafted from copper; the methods minted in 1983 to now are manufactured from zinc. When I choose the pennies stated in 1982, I’ve attemptedto test them by dropping one with a table to see the sound they cook when they hit the top. Since copper pennies weigh countless are denser as opposed to zinc ones, they create a lower metallic “thud.” When a zinc penny is dropped, the sound celebrate is a lighter pitch. However, I have yet to see a difference between the sounds a copper as well as a zinc make after dropping them on the hard surface.

A few solutions can be purchased that will accurately determine the information. If you have a jewelry scale, you can actually weigh them. Each copper cent weighs about 3.11 grams while one zinc weighs 2.5 grams. I would make use of a simple copper penny sorting machine for the task. If you’re not tight on time, the “E-Z Copper Penny Sorter” can be a small device which allows the user to insert some pennies each time. The copper ones are dropped on the right opening as you move the zincs fall through the left. These sorters sell on eBay for $25 to $60, with respect to the seller. If you buy many boxed rolls of pennies weekly for $25 each, you want a bigger machine that permits you to load 18,000 pennies by the hour. The Ryedale Apprentice Penny Sorter is the better and biggest known separator, but it really costs a hefty $500.

Nothing in copper penny collecting or hoarding is a lot more frustrating than determining if 1982 pennies are crafted from copper or zinc. Testing for composition by dropping them and hearing an improvement in tone doesn’t figure out which one is which. Using a small jewelry scale will indicate the several weights in grams. To sort pennies with less effort, you will need a small “E-Z” or even a large Ryedale Copper sorter to have the job done. Until you acquire one of these gadgets, I would simply keep those 1982 pennies separated by putting them in a jar or box. Whatever device you decide on, your 1982 pennies is usually accurately sorted.