Is the nickel the new penny?

[hornadylnl]

Whenever I get pennies in change, they go in a separate container at home as I won't mess with them when buying stuff. I stop and get breakfast at McD's most mornings and it always comes to $3.95 so I get a nickel in change. Before I know it, I've got a pocket full of the damn things as I don't like making change with a cashier with them either. They also take forever to get anything out of a vending machine with. My wife on the other hand will dig in her wallet for what seems like forever for 3 or 4 pennies.

 

[Delmar]

I still use pennies.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I still use pennies.

Me too. It's amazing how many I'll see laying on the ground--but I don't mind picking them up.

 

[atvdave]

every morning my coffee & paper comes to $2.02. I always try to make sure I have 2 penny's in my pocket before I head out the door. If I don't, the store always let's me slide.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

The mint has been wanting to do away with them for years, but no luck. I'd have to look up what year they stopped making them out of copper, but the melt value of the copper ones is well more than 1 cent. Same thing with nickels, in fact, by a couple of cents. Fiat currency always leads to debasing of coinage.

If you have a bunch, take them to the coinstar machine. They charge a little premium, but it saves all the counting and messing around.

 

[remauto1187]

I'll give you a buck for 15 of those annoying nickels! All day every day!
Slow it down in life and you will have time to put those pesky nickels in the vending machine.

 

[CTC B4Z]

yes because i toss both of them in the trash now

 

[hoosierdoc]

I'll give you a buck for 15 of those annoying nickels! All day every day!

new .sig line?

 

[Rikkrack]

www.coinflation.com will tell you what you penny/nickel etc is worth in melt value.

Currently it cost more to make a penny than it is worth and the mint is having trouble finding ways to make it cheaper.

 

[Hal42]

People are always asking for nickels at work due to the popularity of the Coca-Cola vending machine versus the Pepsi vending machine. Of course this has to do with a 20 oz being $1.10, the Coke machine requiring exact change all the time, and it mysteriously never accepting dimes. It also seems to eat one lady's change, but no one else has mentioned the problem.

 

[Brandon]

Most of my change ends up in a jar that gets counted and sorted later by a coin counter. It all spends the same as far as I am concerned. The only coins I keep are the wheat pennies or older nickles and such.

 

[Liberty1911]

The mint has been wanting to do away with them for years, but no luck. I'd have to look up what year they stopped making them out of copper, but the melt value of the copper ones is well more than 1 cent. Same thing with nickels, in fact, by a couple of cents. Fiat currency always leads to debasing of coinage.

If you have a bunch, take them to the coinstar machine. They charge a little premium, but it saves all the counting and messing around.

1982 they started making copper plated zinc cents.

They have a study going on now to eliminate the cent and nickel or use different metals, probably plated steel like Canada and the UK use for their smaller denominations.

They would have eliminated the cent 15 years ago if it wasn't for the zinc/metals lobby in congress.

 

[Liberty1911]

Oh and by the way, a few years ago, congress made it illegal to melt copper cents and nickels.

 

[Ted]

I think that the 1 cent, should be printed on paper.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

That's funny. I have a 1 cent bank note from Zimbabwe, as well as others up to 100 trillion dollars.

 

[SWAMPMASTER]

I'll give you a buck for 15 of those annoying nickels! All day every day!
Slow it down in life and you will have time to put those pesky nickels in the vending machine.

Do you want to rethink this otherwise I may become rich

 

[RedneckReject]

I never pay for anything with change. I take any change that I'm given after a purchase and put it in a jar. After about a month or so I have a nice chunk that I can take to the bank or coinstar or wherever.

 

[Liberty1911]

Do you want to rethink this otherwise I may become rich

 

[Rikkrack]

I give change to my kids. Then for b-day a pack of coin rolls. After a year they can have some $ saved up, and then turn the rolls into whatever they want to buy for b-day.

Yes I get them b-day presents too. The coins are just a bonus, and I don't have a bunch of change or give money away to have someone else count it. That and it keeps them quiet for a while.

 

[MrBBQ]

Didn't see this mentioned yet... but Coinstar counts for FREE if you get it converted into a Amazon or a Lowe's Gift Card. Much better than them charging you about 10% if you want it in cash.