This is funny because I remember just a few years ago reading about how the Mint would never stop making pennies because they made a profit on them.
The military exchanges in Japan started rounding to the nearest nickel this about 10 years ago when the cost of shipping pennies there grew too great. I didn't miss them at all and when I returned to the States, I found dealing with them again very annoying.
A few years ago mining was in the pits and so were prices. They've jumped a bunch.