SYDNEY: Rising metal prices mean Australia's five cent coin now costs more to make than it is worth, the government admitted Sunday, but added there were no plans to scrap the little piece yet. The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, which produces the copper and nickel coins stamped with the native echidna, or spiny anteater, has reportedly complained that they are so expensive to make they should be scrapped. “With the rising prices of metals and some of the ingredients which go into the five cent coin, they've certainly reported that it's more expensive to make the five cent coin than five cents,” Assistant Treasurer Bill Shorten said. The circular five cent coin, which is 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel, weighs 2.83 grams and has a diameter of 19.41 millimetres.
