The History of the US Penny: Why This Little Zinc Coin Just Won’t Die

You probably have a jar of them sitting on your dresser. Or maybe they’re just rolling around in your cup holder, sticky with spilled soda and ignored by everyone. It’s the penny. Honestly, the history of the US penny is kind of a chaotic mess of copper shortages, war-time desperation, and a surprising amount of political lobbying that keeps a coin that costs three cents to make in our pockets.

It's weird. We spend more money producing them than they’re actually worth. But for over two hundred years, the cent has been the backbone of American commerce, evolving from a massive hunk of pure copper to the thin, copper-plated zinc disc we know today.

The Early Days: When Pennies Were Massive

Back in 1792, the Coinage Act changed everything. Before that, people used whatever they had—Spanish bits, British coppers, even pieces of silver. The first official US cent, minted in 1793, was huge. It was basically the size of a modern-day half-dollar. Imagine carrying ten of those in your pocket. You’d need a belt just to keep your pants up.

These early "large cents" were 100% copper. Because copper was expensive and the minting process was still figuring itself out, these coins varied wildly in design. You had the "Flowing Hair" cent, which, frankly, made Lady Liberty look like she’d just seen a ghost. People hated it. They thought she looked frightened or "savage."

The Mint quickly pivoted to the "Liberty Cap" and later the "Draped Bust" designs. These were more dignified. But the problem remained: the coins were too big. By the 1850s, the price of copper was skyrocketing. The government was losing money on every coin they stamped. If that sounds familiar, it's because history has a funny way of repeating itself every century or so.

The 1856 Shift and the Flying Eagle

In 1857, the government finally shrank the penny. This was a massive deal. They introduced the Flying Eagle cent, which was the first "small cent." It wasn't just smaller; it was a different alloy. They mixed copper with nickel, giving it a pale, whitish look. People actually called them "white cents" or "nickels" before the actual five-cent nickel existed.

💡 You might also like: Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs: What Really Happened and Why You Shouldn’t Panic

The Flying Eagle didn't last long, though. It was hard to strike properly. The eagle’s tail and the wreath on the back didn't line up right in the press, leading to blurry coins. By 1859, we got the Indian Head penny. Fun fact: the "Indian" on that coin isn't actually a Native American. It’s Lady Liberty wearing a headdress. It was designed by James B. Longacre, who supposedly used his daughter, Sarah, as the model. That’s a bit of a numismatic myth that experts like Q. David Bowers have debated for years, but it’s a cool story regardless.

Lincoln Takes Over the History of the US Penny

1909 was the turning point. It was the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. Before this, it was considered "un-American" to put a real person on a coin. George Washington actually turned down the offer because he thought it felt too much like the British monarchy. We liked our metaphorical figures—Liberty, Justice, and the like.

But the public loved Honest Abe. Theodore Roosevelt, who was obsessed with making American coinage look more "classical" and beautiful, hired Victor David Brenner to design the new cent.

The VDB Controversy

If you look at the bottom of the back of a 1909 penny, you might see the letters "V.D.B." Those are Brenner’s initials. People went absolutely ballistic. They thought it was "free advertising" for the artist. The initials were removed almost immediately, making the "1909-S VDB" one of the most famous and expensive pennies in existence. If you find one in your couch cushions, you’re looking at a few thousand dollars, easy.

The Lincoln cent has been through three major "backs" or reverses:

📖 Related: The Gospel of Matthew: What Most People Get Wrong About the First Book of the New Testament

1. The Wheat Penny (1909-1958): Two stalks of wheat framing the words "One Cent." This is the classic.
2. The Memorial Penny (1959-2008): Celebrating Lincoln’s 150th birthday. If you look really closely at the Lincoln Memorial on the back, you can see a tiny Lincoln sitting inside.
3. The Shield Cent (2010-Present): Representing Lincoln’s preservation of the Union.

The Year Everything Went Wrong: 1943

World War II changed the history of the US penny in a very literal, physical way. The military needed copper for shell casings and wiring. The Mint had to find a substitute. They settled on steel coated with a thin layer of zinc.

These 1943 "Steelies" were a disaster.

• They looked like dimes, so people constantly spent them by mistake.
• They didn't work in many vending machines (which used magnets to find fakes).
• They rusted. Once the zinc coating wore off the edges, the steel underneath turned into a crusty, brown mess.

But the real legend is the 1943 Copper Penny. A few copper blanks were left in the hoppers when the Mint switched to steel. Only a handful exist. One sold at auction for over $200,000. It is the ultimate "Holy Grail" for casual hunters. Conversely, in 1944, they went back to copper, but they used "spent shell casings" recovered from battlefields to make them. If you hold a 1944 penny, you might be holding a piece of a repurposed bullet.

The Great Zinc Pivot of 1982

By the late 70s, the price of copper was so high that people were starting to melt down pennies to sell the metal. This is highly illegal, by the way. Don’t do it.

The government realized they couldn't keep making 95% copper coins. In the middle of 1982, they switched the composition to 97.5% zinc with a thin copper plating. You can actually tell the difference by dropping them on a table. A pre-1982 penny has a bright "ring" to it. A post-1982 penny makes a dull "thud."

👉 See also: God Willing and the Creek Don't Rise: The True Story Behind the Phrase Most People Get Wrong

It’s basically a zinc slug dressed up in a copper suit.

Is the Penny Dying?

Honestly, the penny is in trouble. It costs about 3.07 cents to manufacture a single penny as of 2024. That’s a losing business model. Canada got rid of their penny in 2013. Australia and New Zealand did it years ago.

So why do we still have it?

Politics. Mostly lobbying from the zinc industry (specifically companies like Jarden Zinc Products) and a general American sentimentalism. We hate change. We also have a weird fear that if we eliminate the penny, businesses will "round up" prices and steal our money. Economists call this "rounding tax," and most studies show it actually balances out in the long run. But try telling that to someone who wants their exact change at the grocery store.

The Rarity Factor

Most pennies are worth exactly one cent. But the history of the US penny is littered with errors that make them worth a fortune to collectors (numismatists).

• 1955 Double Die: The date and letters look blurry because the coin was struck by a misaligned die. You can see it with the naked eye.
• 1969-S Double Die: Similar to the '55, but much rarer.
• 1992 Close AM: On the back, the 'A' and 'M' in AMERICA are almost touching. On a normal penny, there’s a clear gap.

Actionable Steps for Penny Owners

If you're sitting on a mountain of change, don't just dump it in a Coinstar—they take a massive cut of your money (usually around 11-12%).

1. Sort by date. Anything 1958 or earlier is a "Wheat Penny." They are usually worth 3 to 5 cents minimum, even in bad shape. Some are worth much more.
2. Look for the 1982 transition. Use a digital scale. A copper 1982 penny weighs 3.11 grams. A zinc one weighs 2.5 grams. The 1982-D Small Date copper penny is a rare "transitional error" worth thousands.
3. Check for "Double Dies." Get a cheap jeweler's loupe (10x magnification). Look at the "In God We Trust" motto. If the letters look like they have a shadow or a second outline, you’ve hit the jackpot.
4. Deposit at a bank. Most banks will give you free paper rolls. Roll them yourself and take them to a teller. It’s the only way to get 100% of your value.
5. Stop hoarding them. If you aren't a collector, put them back into circulation. The Mint produces billions of new ones every year because we keep taking them out of the system and sticking them in jars.

The penny might be a "zombie coin"—dead in utility but still walking among us—but its history is a perfect reflection of American history: messy, resilient, and slightly obsessed with its own image. Whether we eventually follow Canada's lead or keep minting zinc slugs forever, the penny remains the most "human" piece of currency we have. It’s the one we throw in fountains for luck and find on the sidewalk for a bit of hope. That's worth more than a cent, regardless of what the metal market says.