Is a 1981 penny copper?

Yes. 1981 Lincoln cents are 95% copper, about 3.1 grams.

What is a 1981 cent worth in melt today?

At today’s copper price of $6.5215/lb, one coin’s melt is $0.0425. Multiply by how many you have. Melt is the metal, not a collector price.

Last full copper Memorial year

1981 penny — copper, not zinc

A 1981 Lincoln cent is 95% copper. 1983-on cents are zinc with a thin copper plating. 1982 was both. One coin’s melt today is $0.0425 at $6.5215/lb copper.

1981 penny 95% copper This page · ~3.1 g 1982 penny Copper or zinc Both metals that year 1983-on penny Zinc, copper-plated ~2.5 g · almost no copper

Through mid-1982 the Mint struck Lincoln cents in 95% copper (Memorial reverse from 1959). A 1981 penny is that copper cent. Melt is copper by the pound — usually less than a collector will pay for a nice example.

Zinc cents from 1982-on weigh about 2.5 g. Copper cents weigh about 3.1 g. If you have a 1981, it should be the heavier copper coin.

Wheat cents (1909–1958) are the same 95% copper melt as a 1981 Memorial. Steel 1943 cents are not copper.

Full spec and quantity math: Lincoln memorial cent (copper) · Identify · US silver by year

Melt / coin$0.0425

Copper / lb$6.5215/lb

Gross weight3.110 g

If you want to sell Find a shop near you

A local coin shop can look at what you have. Melt may not be the whole story — dates and condition matter.