Hmmm...
While the return might not be as ‘great’, wouldn’t the same premise hold for about any ‘coin’ as opposed to ‘paper money’ in the end?
Most metals would seem to have at least some intrinsic value over paper, would they not?
Sorry if this is a stupid question...LOL
Now, nickels are made from materials that cost more than five cents, so, until next year, when the Feds go to a trash metal, it's a good idea to collect nickels.
FWIW, coins used to have a value based on the metal in them. When governments started using manipulation of currency to control economics, it led to situations where, for example, if a dime was still made of silver, the value of ten dimes would be around $20, not the face value of $1. True metal currency reveals how much the government has debased the value of paper currency by printing. That's why they have to change the metal in coins. I don't think any of the government clones thought we'd reach a point where the content of copper in pennies would exceed the value of the coin, and now the copper-nickel value of a nickel exceeds the value of a nickel.