what is a penny made from
Before 1982, the penny was made of copper which is why they, unlike most other coins, don't look silver. However, after 1982, the U.S. government realized that it was too expensive to make a pennyâmore than the penny was worth in moneyâso they decided, instead, to make it with a mixture of two different metals. Nearly ninety nine per cent of the penny is made of zinc while the other per cent (at most) is made of copper.