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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;messydesk, post: 26071365, member: 1765&quot;]Correct.&nbsp; Dropping a coin of the cent&#039;s purchasing power from production has proven to be no big deal for many countries.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The nickel could be made cheaper by changing its composition, but that would have to be coordinated with the vending industry which needs to be able to tell the difference between a US and Canadian nickel, the mint to source materials and test production, and Congress to authorize the change in the composition.&nbsp; Not low-hanging fruit when compared to stopping production of the cent.</p><p><br /></p><p>The cost of producing the cent is more than just raw materials, however.&nbsp; It includes the cost of labor, transportation, and running the mint.&nbsp; Not all of those costs are simply eliminated by eliminating the cent.&nbsp; You can&#039;t suddenly make the mint building smaller and less expensive to maintain.&nbsp; Some of the skilled labor is allocated to more than just cent production.&nbsp; As a result, the cost of the other denominations goes up.&nbsp; Downsizing could reduce the cost a bit, but costs are subject to inflation, while face value isn&#039;t, so in the long term, it will be a losing battle.</p><p><br /></p><p>One thing not included in the cost to make the cent is the cost to the economy of handling it once it&#039;s been transported out of the Treasury Department&#039;s cost centers.&nbsp; This includes everything from banks shipping coins to stores handling them to car washes unjamming equipment that got a penny stuck in it.&nbsp; I really don&#039;t know what this comes out to per coin produced, but it&#039;s a cost to the economy that would disappear as cents disappeared from circulation.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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