Corroded Zincolns; Is the US Mint not aware of this issue??

Modern coins that rot in front of our eyes helps to manifest their growing irrelevance. Pocket change exists today to make change and really for nothing more. Even a quarter won't buy anything substantial, save the random gumball or trinket.

Along those lines, change has completely vanished from my life. I never have it in my pocket and I never use it any more. Even the toll booths I used to slow down and throw change into on road trips have disappeared. Instead, a camera scans my license plate and bills me. I no longer need a pile of quarters or a "change jar" in the car.

All of the vending machines I encounter have swipers on them for plastic. Even if I did use tangible money for them, I would put 2 dollar bills into the slot and probably receive a quarter back. That quarter would then get thrown into a pot at home and probably sit there until the world ends.

As others have already noted, the Mint does not control the coinage. Congress needs to legislate eliminating the cent (or the nickel, etc.). As I've said here before, despite the cost of making cents, Congress still considers the Mint profitable because they more than make up for the cost of cents by the seigniorage on dimes and quarters. So the Mint doesn't see the cent it as a problem, not does Congress see it as enough of a problem to take action. Until someone cares enough, or until change just becomes completely irrelevant to society (i.e., money goes electronic), nothing will likely happen.

In the meantime, it looks like the new cents will just rot away.

 

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Production needs to HALT on the cent immediately. NIFC is fine, the Mint could haul some money selling them if they became the only source. All small denomination coinage is nearly worthless in 2023. The costs to produce and distribute coinage far exceed it's value to the world in commerce.

 

Indeed - I think a lot is also politics. It's the same old arguments blaming both sides of the isle for the "problems" it would create to stop minting cents. I call BS, pennies are of NO VALUE in today's world. Our government has hyper-inflated us into oblivion making the cent more of an irritation then a necessity.