Should the US mint start putting 95% copper pennies back in its proof sets?

Should the US mint start putting 95% copper pennies in the proof sets to make the collectors happy, the Canadian mint put copper pennies in their proof sets before they killed off their pennies so should the US mint do the same thing before they kill off the penny?

 

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Tough call - the 95% (brass) planchets used in 1982 and struck by mistake in later years are still causing all sorts of numismatic mayhem - shield reverse 'coppers' would open a new can of worms...

 

But they did make 95% copper pennies for the proof sets and mint sets back in 2009 so if they really wanted too they could do it again or even do a stand alone coin in 95% copper and sell it for a premium to collectors.

 

Maybe if they put the date bigley on both sides.

 

Wouldn't make any difference. It would be exciting for a year maybe two then it would just become meh and be the norm again.

 

Brass cents should be accompanied with silver Native American dollars, but in the silver proof sets only.

 

Maybe we can all contact our congressman at the same time we can get them to make copper pennies for the proof sets.

 

Oh, sometimes they have... for example lowering the weight of the trime to 0.75g and increasing the fineness to 0.900 from 0.80g and 0.750 fine in 1854... the Coinage Act of March 3, 1853, which lowered the weight of the half dime to half dollar (http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=010/llsl010.db&recNum=181) makes no mention of the trime.

But I'll grant you that was several years ago and the statute of limitations expired long ago.

And there was the redesigns of 1916 when the mint erroneously thought the law REQUIRED redesign after 25 years instead of merely permitting it.

But certainly, in recent years, the coin laws have specified - in sometimes nauseating detail - the precise design of the coin.

 

I think it would be neat for the silver proof set but they would need to pass the necessary legislation.

 

I've always said it would be real nice if the silver proof set included a copper cent, silver dollar, and even a 'wartime' silver nickel. Then you would have all coins different from the regular proof set.

 

I’d like to see the silver set actually be all silver like some other countries do

 

Oh...a war nickel. I like that idea. Nice touch. I'd love to see a set like that. 95% copper cent, war nickel, 90% dime, quarter and half.

 

Nostalgic much? lol

 

No but if you go of couple weeks later you'll find they do pass legislation to change the weight and fineness of the three cent silver piece.So they still had to have legislation to make a change and they couldn't do it on their own.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llsl&fileName=010/llsl010.db&recNum=210

 

Didn't know that - one heck of an omnibus technical corrections act... lighthouse fund, paying some shrub for work on the census etc.

 

Well. Figure out why the congressman is from your district. They each have websites. You should be able to contact them through their site.