Save your pre-1983 pennies. The price of copper will skyrocket in the next ten years due to the explosion of AI world wide. AI requires massive amounts of electricity - all carried by copper wire. Pennies made from 1864-1982 are 95% copper (except for 1943) Pennies made after 1982 are 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper plating. Pre-1983 pennies already contain more than 3 cents worth of copper.