Did you know that it costs more to make a penny than a penny is worth?

[Fran Kubelik]

Why don't we get rid of pennies?? We lose something like 10s of millions of dollars a year manufacturing these things no one wants in their pockets.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/United_States_penny,_obverse,_2002.jpg/601px-United_States_penny,_obverse,_2002.jpg

[suninvited]

1. I just gotta say

as someone trying to learn photography, that is a great picture of a penny.

[Fran Kubelik]

8. isn't it gorgeous?

:hi:

[suninvited]

14. Another nice pic NT

[BlueJazz]

2. The Mint says it costs 1.23 cents to make a penny and 5.73 to make a Nickel.

I say we get rid of them both.

[Fran Kubelik]

6. yeah, according to the New Yorker, that's one of the reasons they don't get rid of the penny

Because we lose even more on the nickel. That and the zinc lobbyist.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. you saw colbert report, didnt you?

[Fran Kubelik]

5. Oh wow, no. Read it in the New Yorker.

:hi:

[Duer 157099]

4. I'll sell my pennies to the mint for 1.13 cents each

and my nickels for 5.63 cents.

Think they'll buy?

[Fran Kubelik]

11. you could always try

;)

[Chan790]

7. Yes, but did you know...

the circulation life of a $1 coin is estimated to be over 25 years, while the circulation life of a dollar bill is just over 16 months on average.

The fact that Americans insist on using paper $1 bills instead of the coins costs the government several billion dollars a year. I think they should just stop printing $1 bills, maybe $5 as well.

[Fran Kubelik]

10. yep - agree about the dollar bills.

[tjwmason]

18. The dollar bill is an interesting one.

The lowest denomination note in the U.K. is £5 - about $10. We have coins for £1 ($2) and £2 ($4) - using a note for something so small would seem very odd to me.

The Europeans have a 5 Euro note (worth about $8 at the moment, goodness how the market has shifted).

[Ptah]

9. I've been a machinist for many years. We always joke we could make pennies.

But they would cost $.05 each.

[Fran Kubelik]

12. I was surprised to see how little copper is in them anymore.

Hey Ptah!

[Ptah]

13. I think they are now copper coated zinc.

I worked in a copper mine for a short time when I was much younger.

[Fran Kubelik]

15. no kidding? very cool.

You have had an interesting life.

[Ptah]

16. I have enjoyed almost all of it, so far. Well-timed naps are my secret.

[In_The_Wind]

17. I never seem to have enough of 'em in my pockets when I need 'em.

So the store keeper is happy to give me a few more.

[yellowcanine]

19. We wouldn't have a coin for honest Abe if we did that. And it is perfect now - nothing so honest

as a penny. It is even worth more than it purports to be. How much more honest and modest can you get?