Death to Pennies | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Pennies are costly to produce, outdated for transactions, and a burden on the economy. It's time to eliminate them.

Key Insights

• 😇 The cost of producing pennies is more than their actual value, with the US Mint spending 1.8 cents to produce each one.
• 😒 The use of physical cash is meant to facilitate transactions efficiently, but pennies hinder this purpose.
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand, Australia, Finland, and the Netherlands have successfully eliminated small-denomination coins without any negative impact on prices or charitable donations.
• 🪙 The half-cent coin was discontinued in 1857 for being worth too little, showing that getting rid of low-value coins has been done before without issue.
• 🎱 Lincoln's image and legacy can still be honored on the $5 bill even without the penny being in circulation.
• 🇺🇸 The United States Military has already abolished the penny on overseas bases by rounding to the nearest five cents.
• 💄 The penny's decreasing value due to inflation exacerbates its inefficiencies, making it even more problematic for the economy.

Transcript

The story of the penny starts in the first US Mint founded in 1792 which produced these one-cent pieces along with other coins including the Quarter, Dime, Half Dime and a mystery coin that we'll get back to later. These pennies of the new republic were born of 100% pure copper. But, two forces conspired to ensure this wouldn't remain the case for ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did the United States reduce the copper content in pennies?

The value of copper increased and the buying power of the penny decreased due to inflation. As a result, The US Mint had to reduce the amount of copper in pennies to cut costs.

Q: Why did people melt older pennies in 2006?

The metal value of older pennies rose above their face value, making them worth more when melted down for raw copper. This led people to melt them to sell for a profit.

Q: Why are pennies inefficient for transactions?

Pennies are no longer valuable enough to buy anything substantial. They are cumbersome to carry, make transactions slower, and require exact change, which often leads to confusion at checkout counters.

Q: Why don't vending machines or automated systems accept pennies?

Pennies are not accepted by vending machines, laundry machines, toll booths, or parking meters because they are not worth the time and effort to count, store, and transport. Coinstar is the only machine that takes pennies but charges a 10% fee.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The value of pennies has decreased over time due to inflation, leading to a reduction in copper content to cut costs.

• In 2006, the metal value of older pennies rose, causing people to melt them for profit.

• Pennies are inefficient for transactions, as they are cumbersome to use, contribute to longer checkout times, and cannot be easily spent in vending machines or other automated systems.