I have a 1981 penny that is not copper but appears to be brass. I don't see a mint mark on it but I was wondering if this is of value or what have I got?
From the U.S. Mint site - "In 1962, the cent's tin content, which was quite small, was removed. That made the metal composition of the cent 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc.The alloy remained 95 percent copper and 5 percent zinc until 1982." The dictionary says brass is a copper/zinc alloy so maybe the "copper" cents ahould really be call "brass" cents?
The brass family is a group of copper and zinc alloys characterized by zinc contents of 15 to 39% with the balance copper.
