ChemCom

A Brief History Of The American Penny.

The US Abraham Lincoln penny was first minted in 1909. During World War II, copper was a metal in high demand and during 1943 the US treasury decided to stop using copper in the making of pennies. It used mostly zinc instead. Thus, 1943 pennies had a silver color and were sometimes referred to as "silver pennies." Coin collectors usually collect these types of rare coins. If you ever speak to a coin collector, ask about the silver pennies of 1943. However, it was not until 1982 that the US treasury permanently changed the metal composition of the old penny. The new pennies are almost as durable as the old pennies, since the strong copper plating protects the zinc - which is more chemically reactive than copper.