Copper is a metal. Though this may be obvious, it is important to start with that fact. The key to investing in a metal has three main factors: Quality, Recognition, and Price.

Copper Quality

Like all metals, copper has a purity element to it. When pulling metal materials out of the ground, there is always a chance from the excavation of copper, transport, processing, and manufacturing into a final product that there will be loss in the purity of the copper. What this means is that something being stated to be copper may not be 100% copper, and therefore how much of the item is actually copper may not be known without extensive testing. Quality is important. The most well known example is gold. Gold has different degrees of purity, just like any metal. The higher quality and pure the gold, the more expensive the gold is. The same is true of silver, copper, and other metals.

One would assume that means having a 100% copper item is best when investing in copper. Technically, this is true. But that also means your copper investment will have the highest possible initial investment cost to invest in pure copper. Copper pennies (made of 95% copper and 5% zinc) have a very high copper content. Being made by the U.S. mint, a copper penny investor knows all of their copper pennies are 95% copper, therefore eliminating any doubt or question as to the purity of their copper investment. The main point of copper quality is to know what the copper quality of what your copper investment is made of. This leads to the second main factor: Recognition.

Copper Recognition   Recognition of ones investment is crucial. Not only so the investor knows what they are buying, but when the investor is ready to sell, the investor’s copper item is easily distinguishable as copper (and the purity of that copper). That’s a bit of a loaded sentence, but it is an important factor. If you’re handed a copper colored metal ball and told its copper, how do you know? What proof is there and do you have the time, knowledge, and money to test its purity? Most buyers won’t waste their time, going instead for the easily

recognized item as copper. This is where copper pennies have a distinct advantage. U.S. copper pennies are, in fact, pennies. They look like pennies, and being made of copper, maintain their imprints to keep them recognizable (such as the Lincoln face on the front of the copper penny and the year to know the date the coin was minted). Unlike copper bullion tokens or other copper investment items, copper pennies are known to be 95% pure copper, and through their recognition, make them already set up perfectly to sell when an investor is ready to do so.

Copper Price

Pennies cannot be melted down as it is currently illegal to do so (read about Copper Penny Laws). This is the best news possible for any copper penny investor. As peculiar as that may sound, investing in the metal value of the copper penny means you cannot quite access the copper portion of your investment quite yet. Therefore, copper penny sellers have been generally known to sell copper pennies for under copper spot price. This means that not only is the copper penny of known copper quality and easily recognized as a copper penny, but also a copper investor buyer can buy copper pennies cheap.

One of the most common questions asked about copper pennies is whether a copper investor should wait until it is legal to melt pennies. Though ultimately this is up to the individual investor, the answer is clearly no. Wait for the laws to change (read about current legislation in Congress to Change the Pennies to Steel) to allow pennies to be melted and the price of copper pennies will sky rocket. Not only should the copper pennies sell properly around copper spot price, but may even exceed copper price. Why? Because the copper penny will always be worth at least one cent, making it not only an ideal copper investment, but also backed by the U.S. currency.

How to invest in copper is up to the investor (read How to Make Money off of Copper Pennies). And as an investor, proper research should always be conducted. Start off by reading the FAQ on this site to get a run down on the basics of copper pennies.