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Message:: [QUOTE="Conder101, post: 5463187, member: 66"]Yes they could make them out of plated steel, in fact that is one of the things they have been studying for the past ten year.  But there are problems.  The steel doesn't strike up as well.  And the mint is really trying to come up with compositions that could be "seamlessly introduced".  In other words they need to be able to work in counting and sorting machines, and in vending machines without requiring more than the slightest modifications.  Plated steel coins can't do that either because they are magnetic (they can use non-magnetic steel alloys) but the real problem is the lower density that would result in coins of the same size being significantly lower in weight.  That could be corrected by increasing either the diameter or the thickness of the coins, but then they wouldn't be interchangeable with the current coins. And while they MIGHT be cheaper than the current five cent the one cent would still be made at a loss because the current manufacturing expense not including materials is currently 1.1 cents apiece.  So even if the metal was free the cents would still be made at a loss.  What they need is a metal available in multi ton lots at a cost of less than zero dollars per pound. Or they have to give up the idea of seamless introduction and minimal cost to adapt machines.[/QUOTE]