Keep the change, say Germans alarmed by European plan to scrap copper coins

Desperate to save pennies as the economic crisis continues to bite, the European Union is mulling over phasing out one and two cent coins after it emerged that they cost more than their face value to mint.

The bloc’s legislative arm, the European Commission (EC), announced proposals last week to ditch the single currency’s lowest-value coins, arguing that the difference between the value of the coins and their cost to manufacture and distribute had reached €1.4bn (£1.18bn). …