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Comment by mulmen

2 hours ago

No, you can't. According to [1] the scrap value of a penny is $0.0084771. The cost of production is $0.037. The relevant question is if a penny creates more than $0.037 of economic value before it is lost or destroyed.

[1]: http://coinapps.com/base-metal/coin/calculator/

Okay, metal prices are low at the moment, but post-1982 pennies did have a melt value of approx 2c not long ago. And it shows nickels are still currently worth more than 5c.

  • Sure, if the coins are worth more as scrap that’s a problem. So why isn’t that the justification?