Is it legal to melt down pennies?
It is not illegal to melt, destroy, or modify any U.S. coins in the United States.
What happens if you melt pennies?
Melting pennies will release Zinc Oxide fumes which cause flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, nausea, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, joint pains, shortness of breath, chest pain, and cough. You can smelt the copper coating off leaving you with zinc. Pennies minted after 1983 are all made like this.
How much is a penny worth if you melt it down?
We’ve seen that a penny melter can get 2.3860¢ for each investment of 1.00056¢ (the cost of a penny and natural gas to melt the penny). Therefore, it is technically profitable to melt pennies. Again, melting pennies for a profit is currently illegal under US law.
Is it legal to melt pennies for copper?
It is not illegal to melt, form, destroy, or otherwise modify US coins, including pennies, unless the objective is fraudulent or with the intent of selling the raw materials of the coins for profit. Projects that use coins as materials are entirely legal in the United States.
Can you sell pennies for scrap copper?
Not only is it illegal to scrap copper pennies or any US currency but it can come with a costly fine and a visit to prison. While occasionally scrap yards “accept” coins as scrap, it is completely illegal in the US and both parties can be arrested for it.
Can I melt down copper pennies?
Copper pennies are worth more than others, but its illegal to melt pennies.
Can pennies be sold as scrap copper?
Is it illegal to melt nickels?
Effective today, the U.S. Mint has implemented an interim rule that makes it illegal to melt nickels and pennies, or to export them in mass quantities. To avoid this costly coin shortage, the new regulations prohibit the melting or treatment of all 1- and 5-cent U.S. coins.
How do I sell my wheat pennies?
Selling Wheat Pennies to dealers often takes place in person. Old wheat pennies are heavy, a roll of 50 coins is expensive to send through the mail. Finding a local dealer to meet at either their shop or at a coin show is economical.
Is it worth saving copper pennies?
So, your best option is to keep those copper pennies until they get rid of the penny, and sell them then. It will be a nice way to make so money! It might seem not worth it now, but in 2026 you will smile upon the day you started to save copper pennies!