I was not aware that ANY U.S. merchant (let alone the mint) can legally refuse to accept legal forms of tender. I think there is an old law somewhere (leftover from the civil war era when all merchants had to accept the only legal forms of tender following the war) that states they must. Technically, he should be able to buy a candybar and give all pennies as legal tender and get change back (albeit a lot of change).
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"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." - Socrates
Vita contingit, Vive cum eo. (Life Happens, Live With it.)
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." -- author unknown
"De omnibus dubitandum"