Question: are pennies made of copper?
Answer: Indeed, from 1793 to 1837, a cent was pure copper. But newer pennies are made mostly of zinc. Here's the history, according to the U.S. ... The cent was again bronze (95 percent copper, and five percent tin and zinc) from 1864 to 1962, except: In 1943, the coin's composition was changed to zinc-coated steel.