With the economy in a spiral, people are looking for a safe place to invest their money. Some are turning to cryptocurrency; others are looking at gold. However, some online have found a new investment that they’re sure is going to give their bank balance an extra comma: nickels.

Now, to most people, a nickel is just a 5-cent coin. But to users online, they’re nothing more than a combination of 25% nickel and 75% copper. Melt these two things down, and you’ll get a metal value higher than 5 cents.

“They are literally telling you they're going to spend trillions of dollars by the end of the decade building data centers. What's the #1 ingredient in a data center? COPPER. Instead of speculating on AI stocks, acquire thousands of tons of US nickels,” reads one post.

“Minimum wage in 1964 was $1.15. Equivalent to 4 silver quarters, 1 silver dime, and a nickel. Those 6 coins are worth around $29 today. Minimum wage is $7.25 today. Now you know why monetary debasement has been so destructive to the working class.  Nickels are your life raft,” reads another.

To be clear, much of this discussion is a joke. That said, given that the price of the metals in a nickel *really are* worth more than a nickel, some people really do seem to be considering it, and others are actually looking into whether this really is as good of a store of value as nickel-fanatics claim.

The answer is “no.” Legally, you cannot melt down nickels and sell the metals, and you also can’t export them to melt.

So, stick your money in a bank account. I know, it’s boring, but it works.