A nickel is now worth over six cents and will probably soon be made out of zinc. Right now they're 25% nickel and 75% copper. Collecting nickels is a great way to save with no financial risk since a nickel will always be worth at least a nickel. I've started to collect them, getting a few rolls every time I go to the bank. I figure it's like making a 20% profit on every roll I buy. The downside is figuring out where to keep them all.
I nickle weighs 5 grams. So you need to transport and store 5 grams for every penny that you make. Have you actually done the math on this one?
To make $100, you need to buy and transport a little over 100lbs. of nickles. That is, of course, assuming you can actually find someone to pay you 6 cents for them. Let me know when you even get that far.
That's if their value stays the same as now. If the nickels start getting made out of zinc, then the old nickels could probably be sold for ten cents shortly thereafter. I do agree with you on the transportation and storage though, that is the downside for sure.