Don't throw out those pennies just yet.

• Author: Goolsbee, Austan
• Position: Brief article

Last year, the U.S. may have lost up to $40 million coining pennies and nickels. The metal in them--zinc, copper, and nickel--has soared in value, making the coins more valuable as raw materials than they are as currency. To stop this senselessness, we could make them out of something cheaper or abolish pennies (and maybe even nickels). Because of inflation, a penny isn't half the coin it once was. But ports show that Americans like their Lincoln pennies. So, what to do? Here's one expert's proposal: Have the government declare the penny to be worth 5 cents. Pennies would then cost a little over 1 cent to make and would be...