1.7 cents for your thoughts.

That’s how much it costs to make a penny these days, according to a new report to Congress by the US Mint.

It’s a big improvement from 2011, when it cost 2.4 cents, but still a money-losing proposition.

It isn’t the only coin produced at a deficit: it costs 8 cents to make a nickel. The government is losing $91 million a year on the two coins, the report said.

A quarter is more penny-wise, at 9 cents a pop.

Drops in the price of copper, zinc, and nickel helped bring down costs, but not by nearly enough to reverse the money-losing aspect of the lowest denomination coins.

The Mint is exploring its options, including “plated coins that use a silicon-steel core, not used elsewhere in the world.”