Is a 1983 penny copper?

Only a thin plating. The coin is zinc. Melt is almost nothing.

Which pennies are copper?

Most 1981 and earlier Lincoln cents (except 1943 steel), plus some 1982. Weigh 1982. Wheat cents are copper.

What is a 1983 cent worth in melt today?

At today’s copper price of $6.5215/lb, one coin’s melt is $0.0009. Multiply by how many you have. Melt is the metal, not a collector price.

Copper-plated zinc

1983 penny — zinc, not copper

A 1983 Lincoln cent is zinc with a thin copper plating. Almost no copper melt. 1981 and earlier Memorials (and some 1982) are 95% copper. One coin’s melt today is $0.0009 at $6.5215/lb copper.

1981 penny 95% copper ~3.1 g 1982 penny Copper or zinc Weigh it 1983-on penny Zinc, copper-plated This page

From 1983 on, circulating Lincoln cents are zinc. They look copper because of the plating. Melt is not a copper bag.

If a 1983-dated cent weighs about 3.1 g, something is off — the zinc spec is about 2.5 g. Counterfeits and plated novelties exist; a shop can look.

Wheat cents and 1959–1981 Memorials are the copper cents people mean by “copper pennies.”

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

Melt / coin$0.0009

Copper / lb$6.5215/lb

Gross weight2.500 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.