Can you make more than minimum wage based on how much money per time you make doing this?
If ypu hoard the copper penny's as inflation increases the copper pennies will be worth more in the future because the cost of the same mass or volume of copper will increase
When the government collapses no one can prevent you from melting them down but they might be more valuavle than a normal penny in the unmelted form afyer the collapse
Ypu could also sell them to rare coin collectors