Good news and bad news for those who don't like digging Memorial pennies......

[Digger]

The good news is that the Memorial pennies have run their course! The bad news is that their replacements are also zinc!


In 2009 the cent will get a one-year, four-coin commemorative program marking the 100th anniversary of Lincoln being placed on the cent, and the 200th anniversary of his birth. Thus, 2008 will be the 49th anniversary, and last year that the Lincoln Memorial will be on the U.S penny. As part of the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, the cent will be completely redesigned, with a new, permanent design being released into circulation in 2010. The obverse will keep the familiar portrait of President Lincoln, while the reverse will feature four different designs based on Lincoln

 

[RonNH]

It'a about time they changed the design, at least we'll have something new to look at when we dig them up! They were thinking about doing away with the penny,but there are reasons to keep it. Right now it costs the US MInt two cents to make each penny for a loss of something like $110 million a year, so I can see why they are putting all that zinc in them. A nickle costs about ten cents to make. And you wonder why our national defecit is 3 trillion? Ron

 

[Neil]

n/t

 

[Ancient Dave]

Canada

 

[Steve(MS)]

I think it has little to do with coinage as far as what it costs to make them. It has more to do with the paper dollar as it is always going down in value. Coins always have more value because they can stay in circulation a lot longer than green backs. I have heard that they plan on changing currency to something besides dollars, don't know if that is true but any way the fed. reserve can rip us off, I am sure that will look into it. Those copper pennies already are worth more than 1 cent so it might be a good idea to hang on to them.

 

[RonNH]

Steve, they tried to steer people away from the $1 bill by minting the dollar coins, but people didn't take to them , we are a stubborn lot. The Colonials realized that paper money didn't work out too well, it was easy to counterfit, so they stuck with the coinage. If the US switched over to coinage for $1 and $2 bills, just think how profitable that would make park- hunting. Ron

 

[Beale]

I agree that the penny is overdue for a change. I also agree that the only way to get the US to use a dollar coin is to do away with the dollar bill.

I found this site the other night, It is pretty cool as to value of the pre 1982 penny. Try plugging in a value of pre 1982, and then keep same value and plug in current pennies, Beale.

http://www.coinflation.com/