http://www.coinflation.com/ Save your pennies...they may buy you food one day. Copper hit a record high today so your pre-1982 pennies are worth 36 to the dollar.
Amazing huh? A show I was watching recently had a guy on from the treasury who said it costs close to 2c to make 1c.
I think the feds enacted some law making it illegal to melt coins. Anyone remember the old peso? Most had been melted before the new peso.
It may illegal to melt coins, but there's little or nothing to stop you from hoarding those coins. As you can see from the coinflation page, a 1945 nickel is now worth $1.66. An owner of a 1945 nickel should be able to sell their nickel for well over 5 cents today.
If you were to buy exactly the same products in 2009 and 1982, they would cost you $1.00 and $0.43 respectively. pretty close. http://www.westegg.com/inflation/
after that date they are worth almost 2/3rds of a penny so they are still pretty close. A current Nickel is 75% copper and 25% nickel and its worth 6.25 cents per nickel. So you could basically go down the bank today and buy $100 worth of nickels and the metal value in the nickel is worth $130.53.