how many grams of copper in a penny
For the purists, there are about 145 copper cents / pennies in a pound. On the other hand, post 1982 zinc cents which have a copper plating over a much softer, much lighter zinc planchet. So there are about 180 zinc cents / pennies per pound. Those numbers of pennies per pound are of course for new, uncirculated, zinc or copper cents. When minted, new copper cents weigh about 3.11 grams each and new zinc cents about 2.5 grams each and that is our basis for the number of pennies in a pound. However, once they are put in circulation, they start to ware thinner and thinner.