Goodbye to the penny

[UltraBudgie]

The Penny Dies at 232

A long decline into irrelevance ended on Wednesday in Philadelphia.

The American penny died on Wednesday in Philadelphia. It was 232.

The cause was irrelevance and expensiveness, the Treasury Department said.

Nothing could be bought any more with a penny, not even penny candy. Moreover, the cost to mint the penny had risen to more than 3 cents, a financial absurdity that doomed the coin.

The final pennies were minted on Wednesday afternoon in Philadelphia. Top Treasury officials were on hand for its final journey. No last words were recorded.

In its heyday, the penny had immense cultural impact. It was the going rate for thoughts. It was a symbol of frugality, saved and/or earned. It could sometimes be pretty and other times arrive from heaven. And how many ideas would never have come to light without a penny dropping?

When picked up, it was said to bring good luck for a 24-hour period, an assertion commonly made, but one that was never proven by any scientific double-blind studies.

[article continues]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/busin...egacy.html

Is anyone planning on keeping their pennies? Think they will be a good investment, even in melt value alone?

The nickle must be feeling worried and wondering if it's next. Each one costs more than a dime to make.

[BeyondKnowledge]

Do you mean the cent? There haven't been any American pennies in many years. A cent is 100th of a dollar. 

A penny is 1/12 of a shilling. A shilling is 1/20 of a pound. As America has not used pounds in a very long time, how can there be an American penny?

[UltraBudgie]

Do you mean the cent? There haven't been any American pennies in many years. A cent is 100th of a dollar. 

A penny is 1/12 of a shilling. A shilling is 1/20 of a pound. As America has not used pounds in a very long time, how can there be an American penny?

Just for fun, I looked up where they were first called pennies. I found this from 1831:



https://library.villanova.edu/Find/Recor...estvu_fw=1

Page 133. The entire letter is worth reading.

[imitator]

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/busin...egacy.html

Is anyone planning on keeping their pennies? Think they will be a good investment, even in melt value alone?

The nickle must be feeling worried and wondering if it's next. Each one costs more than a dime to make.

I ran into this about a month ago at a grocery store... they short-changed me by three cents. When I pointed it out, they gave me five cents back instead and said they don’t use pennies anymore.

I'm 2 cents richer now... I think lol.  

[Bootless]

I just looked up South Korean Won to U.S. Dollar exchange rate.
 1 USD = 1,468.4 KRW
I was in Korea one day, when a bus ride was about 300 Wan. Bus rides in the US were about 35 cents then.

So I said to myself, "It would be interesting to find a 1 Won coin."
I found one in a small shop. The shop keeper was kind enough to take 1 Dollar in exchange for the 1 Won coin. It was a very small coin.

If it was 20 years ago I would know exactly where the box is that I put it in. But alas, today is today and I've lost track of so many precious treasures!

[Paynful]

Figured this would eventually happen.

I have a big ol' pickle jar full of coins that I always turn into the bank countinn machine. It's crazy how fast it actually adds up. Most of the coins are one cent coins "pennies".

[Quantum12]

Do you mean the cent? There haven't been any American pennies in many years. A cent is 100th of a dollar. 

A penny is 1/12 of a shilling. A shilling is 1/20 of a pound. As America has not used pounds in a very long time, how can there be an American penny?

Hold on! Today I bought eggs for $2.79 and used my debit card. Does this apply to debit/credit purchases?

[ANNEE]

WOW!  Something that actually makes sense. 

Been awhile.

[DBCowboy]

I have a sack of wheat pennies

[argentus]

I have a quart jar of steelies -- zinc coated steel pennies.   Worth nothing, but fun to own.  Interesting fact is that U.S. pennies fit nicely into a ten gauge shotgun shell.   Anybody out there have an olde  Panton?   However, discs don't track well, beyond the immediate up close.   Better to go with #2 shot.  

Also have a few wheaties.  Have a few buffalo nickels.   Two of them are really rare.

ETA:  I look down when I am walking out of stores.  I often see pennies.  I consider them to be a portent of luck.  I have 52 of them collected.