I haven’t watched the NBC Nightly News in a while, so I’m not sure if the Brian Williams version features the segment called “The Fleecing of America.” The Tom Brokaw version definitely did, and in it they brought to light some practice or organization within the government or public sector that was basically ripping us all off.

I’m reminded of that segment with the release of the new dollar coins this week. Actually it’s not so much a fleecing, but maybe an economic reality that people don’t really know about.

So there are these new dollar coins featuring the presidents, one new one every three months. With the success of the state quarter program, the U.S. Mint is thinking we may finally embrace a dollar coin, though I think the only problem in the past is that no one knew how to spell Sacagawea. Yes, I had to look that up.

Before seeing a segment about the coins this morning on the CBS Sunday Morning show, I never thought about these new coins as anything but a tool of commerce. They are just new ways for us to spend the same money.

I never thought the mint actually makes a lot of money off these types of coins.

Especially since hearing that it actually loses money when it makes pennies because of the cost of copper these days. In case you haven’t heard, it costs about 1.4 cents to make every penny. That sounds like asking for trouble, and sure to bankrupt the mint, if not the country.

But then think about the state quarters. How many people do you know who have at least one, if not several from each state just sitting in their house? You get them from the bank or from a store for 25 cents. The bank or store got those quarters form 25 cents. It only costs the mint 9 cents to make each quarter. That’s a big profit.