OT re pennies, copper, zinc: Whatever the metals, it now costs 1.23 cents to make a penny, 5.73 cents to make a nickel, according to USA Today: <A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-05-09-penny-usat_x.htm" target="_blank">http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-05-09-penny-usat_x.htm</A> Steve