OK, from the US Mint site FAQ:

Why are U.S. coins not magnetic?
Because U.S. coins do not contain any ferrous materials.

So magnets would be of no use.

Kat

On Wednesday 26 January 2005 10:06 pm, Kendall David Corbett wrote:
> Unfortunately, most coins don't have enough steel in them for magnets to
> be really effective.  If they did, I'd permanently attach a magnet to my
> reacher, because dropping coins on the floor is a frequent occurrence,
> and it's a real pain.
>
> Kendall Corbett
>