how much does it cost to make a penny
The true cost of making a penny adds up to much more than 1.43 cents. The Mint itself has tried to find out if making coins out of different metals might make them cheaper to produce. But it concluded, that for the penny, there are no alternative metal compositions that reduce the manufacturing unit cost of the penny below its face value. The cost of producing a penny has risen 27% in the last year, while nickel manufacturing costs have risen 19%... The Federal Reserve, which distributes money to banks, pays face value for coins. If a coin costs less to manufacture than the face value, the Mint makes a profit.