Steel cents on the way...?

I first read about this in COINage magazine (February 2008 issue):
legislation has been introduced to change the 1-cent coin from copper-
plated zinc to a steel composition that is treated to "impart a copper
color to the appearance of the coins so that the appearance is similar
to cent coins produced of a copper-zinc alloy". I haven't seen
anything about it online, but the bill is H.R. 4036. It makes sure not
to affect the bicentennial coins for 2009, but this is a long-overdue
change.

Les
http://life-of-coins.blogspot.com/

wrote in message
...
I first read about this in COINage magazine (February 2008 issue):
legislation has been introduced to change the 1-cent coin from copper-
plated zinc to a steel composition that is treated to "impart a copper
color to the appearance of the coins so that the appearance is similar
to cent coins produced of a copper-zinc alloy". I haven't seen
anything about it online, but the bill is H.R. 4036. It makes sure not
to affect the bicentennial coins for 2009, but this is a long-overdue
change.

Les

Sounds akin to someone proposing a redesign idea for the typewriter or the
record album jacket.

On Jan 4, 10:02 am, "jim menning" wrote:
wrote in message

...



I haven't seen
anything about it online, but the bill is H.R. 4036.

There's plenty online. Google has over 24,000 hits with H.R. 4036 +cent for the
"Cents and Sensibility Act".

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=H.R.+4036+%2Bcent

I was looking for "steel cents 2008" and didn't find relevant data...
the article didn't
have the bill number: I had to find that from www.thomas.gov.

Les
http://life-of-coins.blogspot.com/

wrote:
On Jan 4, 10:02 am, "jim menning" wrote:
wrote in message

...



I haven't seen
anything about it online, but the bill is H.R. 4036.
There's plenty online. Google has over 24,000 hits with H.R. 4036 +cent for the
"Cents and Sensibility Act".

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=H.R.+4036+%2Bcent

I was looking for "steel cents 2008" and didn't find relevant data...
the article didn't
have the bill number: I had to find that from www.thomas.gov.

Les
http://life-of-coins.blogspot.com/

Heck, if I were a USCongresscritter, I'd offer an amendment to that bill to
drop the denomination.

--
___________________________________________ ____ _______________
Regards, | |\ ____
| | | | |\
Michael G. Koerner May they | | | | | | rise again!
Appleton, Wisconsin USA | | | | | |
___________________________________________ | | | | | | _______________

On Jan 4, 7:13*am, "
wrote:

It makes sure not to affect the bicentennial coins for
2009, but this is a long-overdue change.

What is 2009 the bicentennial of?

--
Stefano

"Stefano MacGregor" wrote in message
...
On Jan 4, 7:13 am, "
wrote:

It makes sure not to affect the bicentennial coins for
2009, but this is a long-overdue change.

What is 2009 the bicentennial of?

- Lincoln's birth.

James

On Jan 4, 5:51*pm, "Mr. Jaggers" lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com wrote:
"Stefano MacGregor" wrote in message

...
On Jan 4, 7:13 am, "
wrote:

It makes sure not to affect the bicentennial coins for
2009, but this is a long-overdue change.

What is 2009 the bicentennial of?

- Lincoln's birth.

James

It's maybe not hard to imagine a steel cent, or summwhat like it - but
to colorize that? Seems like the new coin product would also be
pricey.

oly

Hello

I don't think the one cent penny is going away.

FROM:
http://www.pennies.org/

Americans for Common Cents

The Penny's Impact:
From the Grocery Store to the Gas Pump

The penny enjoys overwhelming support from the majority
of Americans. Eliminating the penny is a losing
proposition because it will result in rounding to the
nearest nickel and higher prices for America's working
families. This increased cost to consumers will be
felt in everything from the grocery store to the gas
pump. Pennies add up to millions of dollars every
year for charities across the country. Simply put, the
penny plays an important role in our everyday lives and
in our nation's economy.

Our Mission

Americans for Common Cents aims to inform and educate
policymakers, consumers, and the media about the penny's
economic, cultural, and historical significance. Through
coalition building, media outreach, and community
partnerships, ACC attempts to ensure that accurate
information about the penny is widely disseminated, and
that the impact of any changes to the penny's role in
our nation's monetary supply is adequately understood.



wrote in message
...
I first read about this in COINage magazine (February 2008 issue):
legislation has been introduced to change the 1-cent coin from copper-
plated zinc to a steel composition that is treated to "impart a copper
color to the appearance of the coins so that the appearance is similar
to cent coins produced of a copper-zinc alloy". I haven't seen
anything about it online, but the bill is H.R. 4036. It makes sure not
to affect the bicentennial coins for 2009, but this is a long-overdue
change.

Les
http://life-of-coins.blogspot.com/

FROM:
http://www.pennies.org/index.php?opt...66&Itemi d=57

Steel Penny Legislation Introduced

Press Release
Contact: Mark Weller
(202) 408-3933
For Immediate Release: November 2, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Illinois Representative Peter Roskam
introduced legislation yesterday to change the metal of
the composition of the penny to steel. According to
Roskam, other countries have adjusted the metal content
of some or all of their circulating coins given the
increase in metal prices. He urged the United States
should do the same thing by adopting H.R. 4036.

Wide swings in metal prices around the world have
impacted the cost of the penny and other U.S. coins.
In fact, the U.S. Mint has stated publicly that it now
costs almost a dime - 9.5 cents - to make a nickel.

Mark Weller, Executive Director of Americans for
Common Cents, said Congress and the Mint should explore
ways to make coins more cost effectively. "Americans
benefit from the penny," Weller said. "The country and
individual consumers would be harmed, however, if a
discussion of alternative metals turned into an effort
to eliminate the penny," he added.

Since hitting an all time high in December 2006, the
price of zinc (the primary metal in the penny) has
dropped to half that level in less than a year. "That
is exactly why we should not overreact to short-term
metal price fluctuations and consider eliminating the
penny," Weller noted. Stabilization of zinc prices is
consistent with historical patterns and a trend that
may continue as more suppliers enter the marketplace
around the globe. Since 1982, the Mint has made more
than $800 from penny production.

Weller noted that the government will not save money
with penny elimination. "The nickel costs more to
make than the penny, so it's hard to see how you save
money by making more nickels," Weller said. Economic
research has shown that consumers would be hit with a
minimum of a $600 million annual rounding tax without
the penny, since prices would be rounded to the nickel
without the penny.

Americans for Common Cents is a broad based and
informal coalition of charitable organizations,
historians, coin collectors and those involved in
penny production who share a common interest in the
penny's history and continued circulation.



wrote in message
...
I first read about this in COINage magazine (February 2008 issue):
legislation has been introduced to change the 1-cent coin from copper-
plated zinc to a steel composition that is treated to "impart a copper
color to the appearance of the coins so that the appearance is similar
to cent coins produced of a copper-zinc alloy". I haven't seen
anything about it online, but the bill is H.R. 4036. It makes sure not
to affect the bicentennial coins for 2009, but this is a long-overdue
change.

Les
http://life-of-coins.blogspot.com/

On Jan 4, 11:40*am, "Michael G. Koerner" wrote:

Heck, if I were a USCongresscritter, I'd offer an amendment to that bill to
drop the denomination.

And probably not get elected again.