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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;calcol, post: 8264663, member: 77639&quot;]Currently, aluminum is going for about $3,400 per metric ton (about $1.55/lb) versus zinc at $3,850 per metric ton (about $1.75/lb) ... not enough cheaper to justify a switch.&nbsp; Worse, both have been rising sharply in price this year as manufacturing and construction are increasing due to ending of COVID restrictions.&nbsp; The only cheap metal is lead (about ½ the cost of zinc or aluminum on a weight basis), but it’s hardly suitable for coins.&nbsp; Lead is much denser than zinc or aluminum, so a coin of comparable weight would be a lot smaller in volume.&nbsp; Even with lead, it would cost more than one cent to make a penny when manufacturing, transportation, administration and other costs are added in.</p><p><br /></p><p>Plastic would have acceptance, longevity, and machine handling problems.</p><p><br /></p><p>At some point, the cent will have more than $0.01 worth of metal in it, and that will be the end of it, similar to what happened to silver coinage in the early ‘60s.&nbsp;&nbsp; Forget whether it’s legal or not to melt coins … it will happen if there is profit in it.&nbsp; Much easier to do with zinc than silver because zinc can be melted with a propane flame.</p><p><br /></p><p>Cal[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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