Coin shortage could turn pennies to nickels

Reuters ^ | 01/24/07

[DManA]

I hate bringing in pennys. The bank clerks look at you like you just plopped a steaming pile of do do on their desk.

[stockpirate]

Are all pennies pure copper?

[Spktyr]

I like paying annoying institutions and government agencies in pennies - for the exact same reason.

[zendari]

Not since 1982, no.

[Paleo Conservative]

They're mostly zinc.

[stockpirate]

That's what I thought, thx.

[TommyDale]

I've often wondered why people don't just round up or down to the nearest 5 cents and stop using pennies anyway.

[presidio9]

Here in NYC, I have had homeless guys say "no thanks" to pennies.

[Born to Conserve]

I've got three gallons of pennies -- they're just not worth carrying around.

What is zinc going for these days?

I know nickel metal is worth much more than copper -- what is the composition of a nickel?

I think they should just stop making pennies and nickels, and start producing $1, $2, and maybe $5 coins, with MALE PRESEDENTS or cute GREEK GODESSES on them.

[RobRoy]

>>Are all pennies pure copper?<<

I believe 1982 and prior. It's not worth sorting them though, unless you're unemployed.

[presidio9]

Speaking of NYC, that's exactly what most businesses do here.

[proudofthesouth]

Yippee! I've got half a large wine bottle full of pennies. lol

[The SISU kid]

[winodog]

Why dont they make pennies = dimes, dimes = quarters, quarters = dollars and dollars = ten dollars, tens = hundreds and so forth. Then we can all be thousandaires and drink bubble up and eat rainbow stew.

I recall learning in school that debaseing ones currency is a bad thing.

[presidio9]

It is completely unacceptable to me that there is no US currency with Ronald Reagan on it. A $1 Reagan coin is a natural. People would start referring to them as "gippers" almost immediately.

[thackney]

Sharply rising prices of metals such as copper

Talk about slow jouranlism. Copper peaked more than a year ago and has been falling since.

[stockpirate]

Or have several grand children :-)

[steveo]

udder non cents

[SpringheelJack]

I've often wondered why people don't just round up or down to the nearest 5 cents and stop using pennies anyway.

I think it's past the point where they should. I don't even use pennies anymore --- if I get one in change I just throw it away, or it gets lost behind the car-seat or buried in the couch.