Per Time magazine, "The U.S. Mint paid about 1.1 cents for the metal used in a penny last year. And the raw materials for a nickel are about 6 cents per coin." In addition the mint has an overhead cost of about .5 cents per coin. In the last 200 years, the real value of the penny has fallen so far that most adults will not even pick one up off the sidewalk. Gumballs now cost 25 cents in most establishments. The simplest solution is to allow and require cash based transactions to occur in 10 cent increments (and any associated taxes as well). Lincoln and Jefferson have had a long run, but the time to retire them is here.



