How Much Does It Really Cost to Mint Coins (Pennies, Nickels, Dimes, etc.)?
@mythociate (21432)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
April 4, 2011 9:57am CST
I read in The Atlantic that it costs 1.6 cents to mint a penny and 6 cents to mint a nickel, and I wonder about quarters, dimes, half-dollars and dollar-coins.
(Of course, maybe they're too 'hoity-toity' at The Atlantic to think it through ... maybe the extra cost gets made-up-for in the reuse of extra materials---but it's good to know anyway.)
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1 response
@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
4 Apr 11
Hi myth!
Someone up in sidetick polled us last year on this and it was interesting to say the least the number of incorrect answers. We finally received a post to the US treasury where we were surprised by the actual difference of our answers.
What read in the US treasury that the nickel has a physical value which is higher than its face value; nickels cost around 7.7 cents
The quarter is costs around 10 cents.
Cost to make a penny or nickel is balanced out by the lower costs of producing other coins.
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@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
5 Apr 11
Cool; quarters are only 10 cents-a-piece! What about dimes?
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@hardworkinggurl (37063)
• United States
5 Apr 11
I had to go back to sidetick and find the poll and it says the dimes cost 4.4 cents to make. 
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@mythociate (21432)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
21 Apr 11
Awesome! so pennies lose us .6 cents a piece, nickels lose us 2.7 cents each; but dimes each make us 5.6 cents, and quarters 15!
Okay, so with 50 cents change, I can take about nine pennies for each dime ... that's it, I'll take it in three dimes and twenty pennies, and the Federal Bank will break-even! Huzzah!
(We nerdy heroes gots ta get our kicks som`eres! 
)
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