How often do you find a penny on the ground these days? That's how much worth a penny is these days. Years and years ago, you can buy a little something at the local store. Nowadays, a penny is hardly worth any. Try taking your penny to any store in town. If you're nice enough the store clerk might even give you a nickel to help you out.
Just the facts...
Based on the United States Mint 2017 annual report, one penny costs 1.82 cents to make. So, how does the US Mint make a profit? They don't.
This might come as a shocker to some of you, but the new penny is no longer made of mostly copper. The United States Mint in an effort to rein in the cost of making a penny, it had to find materials that are less expensive to make. Beginning in 1982 to 2019, the penny now contains 97.5% Zn and 2.5% Cu. Does that make the penny less valuable? That all depends on how you view the Abe Lincoln coin.
So if you see a penny remember this old saying,
"See a penny, pick it up… All day long you’ll have good luck."