The disproportional cost of penny and nickel production isn’t a new issue. Since 2006, both pennies and nickels have been more expensive to make than their face value.

The impending "death" of the U.S. penny has spotlighted the coin's own price tag — nearly 4 cents to make and distribute each, or quadruple its value.

The disproportional cost of penny and nickel production isn’t a new issue. Since 2006, both pennies and nickels have been more expensive to make than their face value.

The price of nickel fell 27.1% last year, which could account for some of the drop in losses. For pennies, while the average price of copper increased 5.4%, average zinc prices dropped 4.7%. Today’s 1 ...