The US mint has just published over 400 pages of it's findings in it's research to make cents, nickel, and apparently quarters cheaper. http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?action=biennialreport The part I found interesting were the pictures of the nonsense strikes shown in the report. It looks like a whole new group of nonsense dies were used this go around and it looks like the older Martha Washington pattern has been revamped. The full report can be seen here: http://1.usa.gov/ZPHGep
I'm of two minds when I read that report. Part of me is intrigued with the idea of researching different alloys and how they behave as coinage - it appeals to the mad scientist within. Another part of me has to question why the mint is contemplating new alloys at all. Why aren't cents and nickels just taken out of production, and the money used to continue clad coinage? The golden dollar manganese alloy is a bust IMO - it discolors badly, and it doesn't seem like the coins are popular anyway - not to mention that many of the presidential portraits are cartoonish and goofy. The current state of minting in the US today seems to mirror the colossal waste and mismanagement of the federal government, but I'm treading on politics now, so I'll stop.
Sorry fact is no matter what they make a new cent out of they will probably lose money making them, other manufacturing and transportation costs aren't going to decrease. Bad habits are really hard to break.:dead-horse:
They already have the feel of third-world coinage. Dang, make them out of aluminum and be done with it. I'd like to see some coinage in titanium. :thumb:
We have to have the nickel to bridge the gap between the dime and quarter. The simplest solution is to make the nickel out of aluminum and remove its legal tender status. After a few years when aluminum is too expensive as well they can mint a smaller version almost indefinitely (if they hide Congress' checkbook). Of course many people hate aluminum so it might be necessary to mint a copper plated steel version instead.
