For anyone who was thinking about turning in their pre 82 pennies

[Emperor Findus Cladius]

here is something to think about before you do. There is a pretty big push by a lot of folks, including some senators (one from Arizona, I forget the name) to completely do away with the penny. If they do, then pennies will no longer be legal tender and the rule about not being able to melt them down will no longer apply. I dont know about anyone else but I will continue to save my pre 82 pennies.

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

A Handbook of Civil War Bullets and Cartridges - Grab it through Amazon!

[Immy]

Well, according to Alan Herbert's Coin Clinic the current law says all US coins, even 2¢, 3¢ & 20¢ pieces, remain legal tender despite their discontinuation.

 

[Cerulean]

Jim Kolbe's at it again, I see. He represents Arizona, the nation's largest copper producer. For years, Kolbe's been proposing legislation to eliminate the penny and mandate the dollar coin. Considering that the penny has the lowest copper content of any of our current coinage, and that the dollar coins are mostly copper, this legislation would be a major benefit to his constituency's mining interests. But neither his 2001 or 2006 attempts gained momentum in Congress.

If I had money riding on the fate of the penny, I'd place my bets on a composition change rather than on demonetization. I expect to see steel-core pennies and nickels by decade's end.

 

[skalleewag]

doesnt make any sense to me

 

[GMan00001]

They may eventually discontinue the cent, but I believe I read somewhere that the government has already passed a law to change the back of the cent starting in 2009, the 100th anniversary of the lincoln cent. If I remember correctly there were going to be 2 or more reverses in that year, can't remember how many. I believe I read that this new legislation also essentially guarantees that the cent will be produced at least until then.

 

[Cerulean]

They may eventually discontinue the cent, but I believe I read somewhere that the government has already passed a law to change the back of the cent starting in 2009, the 100th anniversary of the lincoln cent. If I remember correctly there were going to be 2 or more reverses in that year, can't remember how many. I believe I read that this new legislation also essentially guarantees that the cent will be produced at least until then.

Here's info on the penny redesign, via Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_dollar_coin#Other_provisions