Article: Penny lobby takes on Congress

THE U.S. PENNY is not what it appears to be, and some in Congress would like to see it change further, if not disappear entirely.

Because of a surge in the price of copper, the U.S. Mint decided 25 years ago to manufacture the coins almost entirely with zinc, save for the coating on which Abraham Lincoln's profile is engraved.

Now, the fate of the penny is up in the air once again.

With the price of zinc soaring amid a worldwidecommodities boom, it costs the government almost 2 cents to make each 1-cent coin -- a pretty penny considering roughly 8 billion new ones are placed into circulation annually.

While it is unlikely the penny will be pulled from circulation, there are some lawmakers ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!