Questions about pennies

[Martin Willett <mwillett@...>]

As a relative newbie, I don't know if this has been discussed much, but
I'm just curious --
a) was it deliberate that the coins as designed and (relatively)
standardized are the same diameter as pennies?
b) are a lot of the DIYers using pennies and, if so, how are they
marking them for denomination and orientation?
c) for those who are also into "Where's George" and the world of
coinage, at what point has a penny been made "unspendable" (crushed by a
train? painted white?) and therefore a federal crime has been committed?
d) the question of using pennies vs. some other coin material reminds me
of the old Pat Hazell joke: he's in line at the bookstore, notices
someone in front of him paying $1.75 for a bookmark, and says, "Hey,
pal, save yourself some money. Use the dollar bill!"

BTW, I'm also planning on trying the Sizzix sledgehammer on various
substrates as soon as it arrives. Hope my kitchen table holds up.