JadeDragon wrote:It is the Mint regulation that prohibits exporting melting or treatment of pennies and nickels are the problem.
“Treat” or “treatment” means to smelt, refine, or otherwise treat by heating, or by a chemical, electrical, or mechanical process.
https://www.federalregister.gov/article ... coins#p-37
Correct. It also contains this statement:
(b) The prohibition contained in § 82.1 against the treatment of 5-cent coins and one-cent coins shall not apply to the treatment of these coins for educational, amusement, novelty, jewelry, and similar purposes as long as the volumes treated and the nature of the treatment makes it clear that such treatment is not intended as a means by which to profit solely from the value of the metal content of the coins.
The nature of the treatment and the volumes treated in the "shredded penny for storage" scenario make it obvious that the intent is to profit from the metal content of the coins, and therefore it is illegal.
There's no way around the melt ban unless you have a signed agreement with the Secretary of the Treasury, and scheming about it on a public forum seems like a bad idea to me.
