system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: If the metals in the American penny are worth more than a penny itself why don't people just convert all their money to pennies and sell them at a profit?

I've been hearing about and reading about the value of a 1 cent coin containing copper, which is increasing in value, worth more than 1 cent. If I exchange $100 and trade in for pennies wouldn't I have made money provided I can sell the coins as scrap?
gpt
It's illegal to destroy US currency, so you couldn't do it in an existing large plant. The costs of building and hiding a bunch of small ones would probably be much greater than any profit you could get.