1 cent. Probably just environmental damage. FYI - Pictures would always help (basically are a must). You also don't need to make a poll for every thread you create.
You can.. After you spend a ridiculous amount of money to get the proper equipment and fuel needed to do the melting process. Also you need to separate the other metals added to the copper to make it pure copper... Like I said it's not worth it. Now leave it alone.
No, and for the reasons Paddy alluded. To clarify, the problem with coinflation-type websites (or the like and is where I assume you're getting your info from) simply take the copper content of a cent and apply grade A copper prices to it. Sounds great, but the fact is that cents are an alloy worth nowhere near grade A prices. Now exactly how much is open to debate and is why a few of us usually suggest calling a local metals buyer instead of believing whatever crap one may find online. Yes, they're illegal to melt but this doesn't mean one cannot ask the very people who they'd be selling to if it was legal.
You can melt anything. pennies, nickels, quarters, dimes, an ASE, even your car !! But think of the equipment needed for that and the cost. When you melt something you also have to separate the metals .. which you don't do with a toothpick. Also, you may not want to do that with pennies and nickels as it is illegal ==> http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=2725597&page=1
