"Update"Should the US start using the Canadian penny.

[henrysmedford]

I just read this from http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/111/hr6162

The US could buy them from Canada at a good price.

(2) that would facilitate or allow the use of a coin with a lesser value produced, minted, or issued by another country, or the use of any token or other easily or regularly produced metal device of minimal value, in the place of a circulating coin produced by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary, in order to complete the first biennial report and to develop and evaluate the use of new metallic materials for circulating coin production, to:

UPDATE
Will not work---
Sorry I missed that part no more posting before coffee

Notice the missing language in the quote above was:

Prohibits the Secretary from including any recommendation for specifications:
...2) that would facilitate or allow the use of a coin with a lesser value produced

[OtusLotus]

Sounds like a great idea... I think there was at one point when the Canadian currency and the US was 1:1 with the Mex Peso at 1:10, which had a lot of people thinking of a one continent currency...

If that is the case, then I would love to get a lot more of the 98%ers...!

[slickeast]

The 98% would never be part of the deal. We would get the steel cents.

[68Camaro]

Notice the missing language in the quote above was:

Prohibits the Secretary from including any recommendation for specifications:
...2) that would facilitate or allow the use of a coin with a lesser value produced

[penny pretty]

I see a LOT of canadians here in Ny. they are accepted just like ours. and will soon become more rare. I even save the non copper ones. Not only because of the exchange rate, but there will be NO more canadian pennies produced.

[fansubs_ca]

The 98% would never be part of the deal. We would get the steel cents.

I imagine you'ld also be able to get the zincs at 1¢ each because that's still more
than the CDN government could get for them by melting them into zinc slabs
with a trace of copper in them. You'ld also get back a lot of your own 1¢ coins
as so many are mixed into circulation here and will invariably get caught up in
the redemption process. (4% of pennies circulating in Winnipeg are of U.S.
origin. ^_-)

I don't think they'ld sell them intact for less than one cent though as numerous
1¢ pieces would "leak" back into Canada periodically, some of which would keep
coming in for redemption.