Making cents

Science World, April 16, 2007 by Susan Gaidos

Penny for your thoughts? Make that 1.12 cents. The metals used to make some coins are now worth more than the currency themselves.

Nickel, copper, and zinc are used to mint pennies and nickels. These metals are also vital for making popular gadgets, like cell phones and iPods. As demand for these items skyrockets, the price of metals also rises.

The U.S. Mint is worried that people might start melting coins to extract the metals. But that would be tough: The coins' metals have high melting points (the temperature at which a solid becomes a liquid) between 419[degrees]C and 1,453[degrees]C (787[degrees]F and 2,647[degrees]F). Even so, the U.S. Mint recently banned melting pennies and nickels. So for now, a penny saved is still only a penny earned.