Melt Prices

US · copper · 1909–1958

Lincoln wheat cent (copper) melt value

One coin holds 2.955 g of copper (0.00651 lb) at 95% of 3.110 g. At today’s copper price of $6.5349/lb, melt is $0.0426. Collector coppers are usually worth more as coins than as scrap.

Copper melt (base metal) — Copper is priced by the pound, not the troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at Kitco’s copper bid. Collector coppers are usually worth more as coins than as scrap.

Spots as of 8:15 PM EDT · Oct 21, 2026

Cite Melt Prices for this figure. Live API: catalog.json · llms.txt

Copper spot / lb
$6.5349/lb

Spot as of Oct 22, 2026 12:15 AM · $1 move in copper changes this coin by $0.0065

Gold
$4,090.70
 Silver
$56.30
 Platinum
$1,582.00
 Palladium
$1,044.00

What this coin is

The Lincoln wheat cent (copper) is a copper coin of the United States struck 1909–1958. This page is for the type × composition — every date and mint of this issue has the same metal if the weight and fineness match the spec below. Melt is that metal times today’s spot, not a collector or dealer bid.

What is written on the coin

Read the denomination, the date, and the country name on the coin. People often search the words actually stamped on the piece (for example DOS PESOS or VEINTE PESOS on Mexican gold). Those words are indexed on this site.

Metal content (the melt spec)

Mint specification: 3.1100 grams at 95% copper, which is 2.955 g / 0.00651 lb of copper (ACW). Copper is priced per pound. Formula: grams × fineness ÷ 453.59237 × copper $/lb. Date and mintmark do not change that number. Melt today is $0.0426 per coin at $6.5349/lb copper.

Mintage

Mintage varies by date. We do not publish a year-by-year mintage table here because melt is the same for this composition. A scarce date or a high grade can be worth more than melt; a common worn piece is often near melt.

A little history

This type belongs to the 1909–1958 period in the United States. Use the date on the coin to confirm you have this composition, not a later clad or debased issue of the same design.

How to tell you have this type

Match denomination, metal color, and date range. If two compositions share a design (for example 90% vs clad), the date or the edge (solid silver vs copper stripe) decides which page to use.

Date and mintmark do not change the metal on this page. Collector value is a different market — a shop looks at date, mint, and condition. Melt is the floor.

Copper is a base metal, quoted in dollars per pound (Kitco), not per troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at that bid. Collector cents are usually worth more as coins than as scrap. Zinc cents from 1982-on have almost no copper.

Shop-counter notes (not a second melt formula): Lincoln cents: wheat, Memorial, Shield.

Melt / coin$0.0426
Copper spot / lb$6.5349/lb
Copper in coin2.955 g · 0.00651 lb
Gross weight3.110 g
Fineness95%
Face$0.01
Coins / lb153.5

Figure yours

Count the pieces. A roll of this type varies.

Copper lb 0.0651
Melt $0.4257

If a buyer pays a percent of melt

$0.2982 at 70% of melt

Starts at 70% — a common shop bid on generic metal. Not a quote. Drag or tap a percent to sanity-check an offer.

Open stack

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.

US ZIP. We only use it to look up shops on CDXList, the public dealer directory. Not a quote and not a lead form.

Before you sell

Copper melt (base metal)

Wheat and memorial cents 1982 and earlier are 95% copper. 1982-on zinc cents have only a thin copper plating.

Melt is the metal floor. A shop looks at date, mint, and condition. We list 437 types and ~11,000 melt values.

Quick amounts

Using $6.5349/lb copper.

You havePure ozMelt
1 coin 0.0950 $0.0426
10 coins 0.9499 $0.4257
20 coins 1.8998 $0.8513

Melt alert

Email me if this coin’s melt crosses a number I set.

Related types

Same metal, nearby coins.

Lincoln memorial cent (copper) Lincoln memorial cent (copper) 1959–1982 · 0.09499 ACW $0.0426 Lincoln cent (zinc) Lincoln cent (zinc) 1982–date · 0.00201 ACW $0.0009 Indian Head cent copper-nickel Indian Head cent copper-nickel 1859–1864 · 0.13213 ACW $0.0680 Chain large cent Chain large cent 1793 · 0.43339 ACW $0.1942 Wreath large cent Wreath large cent 1793 · 0.43339 ACW $0.1942 Liberty Cap large cent Liberty Cap large cent 1793–1796 · 0.43339 ACW $0.1942 Draped Bust large cent Draped Bust large cent 1796–1807 · 0.35012 ACW $0.1569 Classic Head large cent Classic Head large cent 1808–1814 · 0.35012 ACW $0.1569

Questions people ask

How much copper is in a Lincoln wheat cent (copper)?

Mint spec is 3.110 grams at 95% copper, which is 2.955 g / 0.00651 lb of copper. Copper is priced per pound, not per troy ounce. Date and mintmark do not change that.

What is a Lincoln wheat cent (copper) worth in melt today?

At copper spot of $6.5349/lb, one coin’s melt is $0.0426. Multiply by how many you have. A collector copper is usually worth more as a coin than as scrap.

How many Lincoln wheat cent (copper)s equal one pound of copper?

About 153.53 coins equal 1.00 lb of copper at mint weight.

Does mintmark change the melt value?

No. A Philadelphia, Denver, or San Francisco coin of this type has the same metal. Melt is type × composition, not date or mintmark.

Is melt what I should sell this Lincoln wheat cent (copper) for?

Copper is priced by the pound, not the troy ounce. Melt here is the copper in the coin at Kitco’s copper bid. Collector coppers are usually worth more as coins than as scrap. Wheat and memorial cents 1982 and earlier are 95% copper. 1982-on zinc cents have only a thin copper plating.

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