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Not stupid at all, and I'm no genius on financial matters. The thing is that some metals are worth more than others. When LBJ started up the printing presses, he also quit making silver coins because the silver content was worth more than the face value of the coin. In 1982, I think, pennies quit being made out of copper and started being made out of zinc because there was more than a penny's worth of copper in a penny.

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.

" I think, pennies quit being made out of copper and started being made out of zinc because there was more than a penny's worth of copper in a penny. "

There's already some concern that the value of zinc will be a problem in the near future for pennies too.