How are US pennies made?

Nope, Angles, as in Anlglo-Saxon

That was part of my point.

Well after. THe angles, saxons, Jutes & etc, migrated/invaded in about the time the ROman Empire faded away, After they had been ther long enough to consider them selves the home boys, their cousins the vikings decided to stop by for a visit or two. After they were discouraged (At least south of what is now scotland), a few days later, the Normans [Also cousins, and really just a bunch of frenchified vikings. {Norman is roughly "north men"}] decided to stop by and stayed.

Which is where they came from. For a long time that and several other parts of what we now consider "France" was part of what the English kings ruled and considered part of their kingdom(s).

jk

Last week I got $910.00 for two barrels of silicon bronze chips. A year ago it would have been a lot less. Nothing like hard currency.

John

Real mixed emotions on that. Yeah, you got a lot of money, but not because the chips are worth more--more so because it takes so many more dollars to buy the same two barrels of silicon bronze chips. As I said, the dollar has little value-------so it takes more of them to do the same amount of work.

Harold

The only thing that has unchanging value is hard currency. Bronze chips are hard currency. Intrinsic value of the material is what makes it hold its value.

The dollar is only worth something because you can pass it off to someone else instead of trading goods or services. It is based on the" good will and faith in the us goverment" that the dollar has any value.

John

Steel has increased by 66% in just over a quarter. This is domestic and home smelted steel.

Supply and demand with much of the demand foreign is killing us off. The Chinese have huge sources of Iron ore just sitting. They don't smelt near enough to use - almost a hobby or research level of smelt. Yet they demand more and more from the U.S. and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast has run it up as well. Just when steel was starting to nosedive.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

I just purchased around 1000# of structurals and HR bar. The price was within a few cents per pound (about .60/pound, on average) of what I paid about 18 months ago.

Ned Simmons

The rise may not be recent, but there certainly has been an increase.

The house I'm building has some serious steel beams----which cost me just over 30 cents/pound (new material, not used)---but that was four years ago. Sure makes .60/pound look large.

Harold

But there was very little increase in the previous 25 years even in absolute terms, rather a decrease in price in real dollars. I was paying around $.25/pound for hot roll in 1000-2000 pound quantities ca. 1980. Plug $.25 / 1980 into this CPI calculator and you get $.61 for 2006.

I'm buying on the Gulf coast impacted area and it is armor plate to boot. I'm competing with Oil service and re-building of decks, refineries, Hotels, Gaming centers..... And armor plating of mil equipment and private equipment as well.

I just try to make targets :-) Martin Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Ned Simm> >

The cost of steel had begun to dip post the grab by China - the impact to Mil Spec Airplanes across most metals is very high. Their charts showed a dip, but then we had two storms in the Gulf, and additional armor plate needed for War and safety. Think what Homeland Defense needed in recent times - armor plate some of their trucks and such that came under fire...

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Harold and Susan Vordos wrote:

Way up north by the ore fields and smelters... location location and location.

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Ned Simm> >

If there are any steel mills here in New England, they're well hidden .

I have no idea what kind of steel you're buying as armor plate, but I'll bet the price increase has more to do with the cost of the alloying elements than anything else. I know the prices of moly, nickel and tungsten have risen sharply, and I imagine there are other metals that have done the same. If you're buying alloy plate that contains any of the affected metals, that may explain the increase.

Here's a page that shows the effect of nickel and moly prices on stainless steels.

No ore fields or smelters though, which if I understood him, Martin thought might be why I pay less for steel than he does. I think it has more to do with the alloy plate he's buying.

But there are certainly many specialty rolling mills in the Northeast. My biggest customer rolls moly and tungsten; from breaking down sintered ingots to cold rolling 1 mil foil.

Ned Simmons

The mills - rolling types are up north - and barge the product - or rail car - down to Houston, TX.

So many unions charges are added on top as well.

Martin

Martin H. Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Ned Simm> >

That and competitive differences *might* explain 10 or 20 cents difference from region to region, but doesn't explain why you've experienced a 66% increase in 3 months while I've seen no change.

Exactly what is the "armor plate" you're buying?

Ned Simmons