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Melting Coins Now Illegal In the U.S.
A number of readers have noted the action by the U.S. Mint to outlaw the melting down or bulk export of coins. This has come about because the value of the precious metals contained in coins now exceeds their face value.
The Mint would rather not have to replace pennies (at a cost of 1.73 cents per) or nickels (at 8.74 cents). The expectation is that Congress will mandate new compositions for some U.S. coins in 2007.
If this keeps up, .002 cents really will = $.002
(Sorry, but it had to be said...)
Can I continue to light my cigars with hundreds?
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
Dada21 will be along to spout something about precious metals, followed at 11 by a film.
Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
Since they only penalty is a fine, can you pay the fine out of the money you made selling the metal from the melted down coins?
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
I'm too busy straining the gold out of seawater and reclaiming the platinum out of old catalytic converters to mess with melting down pennies and nickels...
Insisting on "correct" English is like saying that there is only one, definitive recipe for chili.
I think this is a sign that asteroid mining could be feasible (the average nickel iron monster is worth several trillian.. not counting any incidental precious metals)
It could be worth significantly more than that if you threaten to smash it into somewhere important!
One MILLION dollars! Muahahahaha! Muahahahahahaha!
*ahem*
The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking.
Realizing pennies aren't (any more) made out of copper: Priceless
For everything else, life takes VISA(tm)
If I have nothing to hide, don't search me
Why stop there?
Why not get rid of nickles and dimes as well?
And why we're at it, let's get rid of all paper currency, replacing it with coins in the following denominations: $1, $5, $20, $50. Then we can stop printing money to replace all those torn dollar bills.
Think of the affect on crime. While you could carry a couple thousand dollars on your person if you really needed to, the drug kingpin who wants payment of a million in cash is going to need a forklift, not a suitcase. Similar issues of phyiscal inconvenience will deter counterfeiting.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
$1 and $2 coins are the reason I moved from Canada to the US. If pieces of metal bigger than a quarter become mainstream currency in the US I'll have to find another country.
Because creating an inconvenience for law-abiding citizens is OK, if it also inconveniences criminals.
Or we could, I dunno, not do that.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
Sounds like somebody needs a hug. C'mere, big guy.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I always thought that the mint should make all coins out of radioactive waste. It would solve the problem of nuclear waste disposal. It would encourage consumers to spend money - quickly. This would help the economy. And it would definitely discourage hoarding of currency.
[Insert pithy quote here]
You can't fold a dollar coin in half and stick it behind a G-string.
Strip clubs start selling paper scrip for tipping at the door.
Like strippers don't get fucked enough as it is. You think they won't start paying back progressively lower percentages of those tips when they turn that funny-money over for real dough? You underestimate the sliminess of the average "upstanding restauranteur".
Or, rather: For everything else, there's MasterCard. :-)
Watch some TV dude!
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .