How Much Does a Penny Weigh?

Have you ever wondered how much does a penny weigh? Maybe not, since many people do not even bother to pick up pennies lying on the street or floor with the cost of everything these days. The penny is really starting to be seen as a worthless coin, since it's almost impossible to buy anything for under a dollar, let alone for a penny. However, despite the relative uselessness of the penny in this day and age, the penny does still have a weight. Of course, everything must weigh at least something, although perhaps the penny is not as light as some may think it is. Guesses for the weight of pennies are sometimes well under a gram, while in reality that is not the case.

The weight of a penny varies depending on the year that it was produced. Before 1982, pennies were made primarily of copper, and they weighed 3.1 grams.  However, since 1982, pennies have been produced mainly from zinc. These zinc infused pennies weigh 2.5 grams. Since the surface area of the penny has not changed, copper presumably weighs more than zinc does. Of course, some of the older pennies are still floating around, so people with very acute senses may be able to detect the extremely slight difference.

What Is Zinc

Zinc has been a valuable resource for human creations for thousands of years. India has always used a relatively high amount of zinc. In the 1500s, zinc started to be used in Europe, where it was considered a valuable metal. However, now, zinc is not really considered all that valuable, which is clear from the fact that it is used to produce the smallest demonination of money in the United States.

Zinc is now found abundantly, and it is used in the production of a wide variety of items including suncreen, fine art, and of course, pennies. Both humans and animals have diets that thrive on zinc. Foods that are rich in zinc include whole grains and seeds.

For those who are familiar with the Periodic Table of Elements, they will know that zinc is represented by the symbol Zn, and it has an atomic number of 30.

Purpose of Pennies

Now that we have examined how much does a penny weigh, we can examine how much a penny is worth, if anything. As aforementioned, people often ignore pennies lying around because they do not think they can use them for anything. However, have you ever heard the quotation "A penny saved is a penny earned?" Most people have heard this at one point in their lives.

Collecting pennies might not make anyone rich, that's for sure. But if you collect one penny a day for ten years, that's an extra 36 dollars and 50 cents. It's not a fortune, but try donating that money to a family in need. They will certainly be grateful. Still not convinced that pennies are worth it? Check the car, crowded drawers, and piggy banks, and see how many pennies have been lying around there for days, weeks, months, and even years. Adding all of them up and taking them to a local Coinstar or bank might make enough for a surprise ice cream cone or cup of coffee.