How is penny made

The Mint has made pennies of Knowing where the raw metals come from might make it possible to estimate the total cost of the product stream. Good luck with that. Jarden Zinc Products, the sole company that produces penny blanks for the U. Yet Nyrstar company representatives assert that Jarden is not one of their clients and has no direct connection with the penny-making process.

Adding to the confusion, the Mint itself reported in that the zinc comes from Canada. At least the copper is easier to track: All the copper used by the Mint more than likely originates in the United States. In , the Mint produced 8. The same year, tons of copper was used to make "consumer products"-- including appliances, ammunition, electronics, utensils and coins.

That means 86 percent of the copper destined for consumer products was used just for pennies. Those tons don't include copper used for non-consumer goods, like airplanes, building hardware, and more. For zinc, the percentage is smaller—2 percent of the 1. List of Partners vendors. Warning Only use the drop test on circulating pennies where you are sorting copper and zinc for the bullion value only. Featured Video.

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I Accept Show Purposes. While that was down from the 1. To make pennies, the U. Mint needs copper and zinc. This leads to mining, which increases carbon dioxide emissions, further harming our already delicate environment. Eliminating the penny will limit the demand for these materials and the mining industry. In , the U. Go to any store and find what you can buy with a penny. The design on the first penny was of a woman with flowing hair symbolizing liberty.

Liberty stayed on the penny for more than 60 years. With these changes came new designs. In and the new coins featured a flying eagle on the obverse and a wreath on the reverse. In , Abraham Lincoln became the first president featured on our coins in honor of his th birthday.