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Penny facts
By
Laura Bruce • Bankrate.com
- The U.S. one-cent coin is 0.748031 inches in diameter
(less than three-quarters of an inch) and weighs 0.0881849 ounces.
- The composition of the penny is 97.5 percent zinc
and 2.5 percent copper.
- There have been 11 different designs featured on
the penny.
- The U.S. Mint produces more than 13 billion pennies
annually.
- There are more than 130 billion one-cent coins
currently in circulation.
- Since its beginning, the U.S. Mint has produced
more than 288.7 billion pennies. Lined up edge to edge, these
pennies would circle the earth 137 times.
- The average penny lasts 25 years.
- Sometimes a penny is worth more than a penny. If
you think you're seeing double, save that coin. A 1955 penny has
a "double-die date." In uncirculated condition -- not
a blemish on it -- it's worth about $27,000. Even in less than
perfect condition it'll fatten your bank account to the tune of
$570.
- An average of 1,040 pennies are produced every
second, adding up to 30 million a day.
- During its early penny-making years, the U.S. Mint
was so short on copper that it accepted copper utensils, nails
and scrap from the public to melt down for the coins.
- The Lincoln penny was the first U.S. coin to feature
a historic figure. President Abraham Lincoln has been on the penny
since 1909, the 100th anniversary of his birth.
- The Lincoln penny was the first cent on which appeared
the words, "In God We Trust."
- More than two-thirds of all coins produced by the
U.S. Mint are pennies.
Source: Americans
for Common Cents
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