It seems like a triumph for a cryptocurrency industry that has long sought mainstream acceptance: Top investors in one of President Donald Trump ’s crypto projects dining with him at his luxury golf club in Northern Virginia,

Most of the crypto investors who bought Trump’s meme coin for a chance at dinner with the president remain anonymous. Some are publicly celebrating their invitation.

The industry’s greatest success has been in corrupting politics. In 2024, it was, after Elon Musk, the biggest deep pocket in the election, contributing directly to the defeat of progressives like Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and former representative Katie Porter (D-CA). And of course, to the victory of Donald Trump.

But older pennies are worth their weight in copper. Pennies made before 1982 are worth about 3 cents a piece. Although you can sell them to a coin shop, you can’t melt them down. Since pennies are still legal tender, it’s a felony to melt them for profit.