Penny pain.

• Position: Business

To the list of companies feeling the hurt of the recession, add the country's biggest money maker: the U.S. Mint.

The demand for money is dropping off. Americans are shelling out less cash, so they need less change back. The U.S. Mint had planned to make 23 billion new coins in 2002. Now it will only make 15 billion. That means less money to go around for the country and less revenue for the Mint, which charges the Federal Reserve 25 cents for a quarter that costs 4.5 cents to make. The cut means 357...