don't melt your money - you could go to prison

http://money.cnn.com/2006/12/14/news/melting/index.htm?cnn=yes


Mint: Don't melt money
Government threatens prison for violators; at current prices the metal value of the coins may exceed their face values.

(doesn't that say it all about our economy?)


The U.S. Mint has implemented a rule against melting down pennies and nickels which, at current metal prices, could be worth more as metal than as currency.

The Mint has received numerous questions over the past several months regarding the metal value of the coins and the legality of melting them.

"We are taking this action because the nation needs its coinage for commerce," said Director Ed Moy in a statement.

-snip-

The rule also bans the exportation of the coins, beyond traveling with $5 worth and shipping up to $100 for legitimate purposes.
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banana republic?

If I leave the country with more than $5 in change piled up in my wallet then I'm a criminal? So now I have to put counting my change before the flight on my todo list along with measuring out my toothpaste and shampoo to only 1 ounce and making sure I take the nail clippers off my keychain and putting them in the checked luggage?

Pennies are zinc with a thin plating of copper.

The "silver" coins are actually copper cores sandwiched between nickel. People steal copper piping and wires for the scrap value, and nickel is a hugely important alloying compound for stainless steel, various bronzes, brasses, and aluminum alloys.

With inflation and a weak dollar, eventually the coins would be worth melted down than their face value. It's why we stopped making gold and silver coins.

And of course, with China a huge consumber of metals (cuz we don't make stuff here anymore), they don't want all those coins shipped overseas and melted down for the metal.

If they take that away, there will be nothing left from my childhood. No more BB guns that look like assault weapons, no lawn darts, no Habeous Corpus, no Bill of Rights...what a bunch of spoil sports!

Damn. God help me if the cops raid my house. :)