What would happen if the US Mint just made fewer pennies?

The US Mint makes hundreds of millions of pennies a year at a net loss for each one. The mint cannot decide to quit minting them, but can they make fewer of them? I would think that with fewer new ones, the banks would have to pay people more than a penny to encourage people to bring them in and the value of them would increase. Any thoughts?

What would happen if the US Mint just made fewer pennies?
things are far more complicated and trust me they are not always decided on the interest of the majority or the short term general wellfare


it is an icy worl baby... just keep by the right side of things


(keep off asking many whys and ifs: it won't help)
Reply:If the penny is a valid unit of payment, it must be produced to replace lost or worn out ones. You can not change the value of a penny. A penny equals 1/100th of a dollar period. You can't change that by decreasing the amount of them.
Reply:That thing happened in Brazil in the old inflation times. It was easy to find useless coins in the streets in those days. Each day the penny worth less and less and someday US will cease to produce it! It will have no consequences other than US spending less in such a nearly useless coin. Some other coins will be produced instead!
Reply:I think it would help cut cost of making the coin but the reason they make them is because people still use them. If business would round up to the nickel then their would be a less demand for it.


I think the best way is to make it out of a cheaper metal if the US still wants to use the penny.