This is the beginning of the end of our beloved penny/cent. I know it has been discussed here, at length. This is just the first time I've seen it being integrated into commerce. I took the grandsons to BK for a shake. Here's their notice to the cash paying customer. It brought a tear to my eye.
The tear was absorbed by a french fry…:-( Yes, it is a shame…but the shortage is not my fault! Since 2020 I have returned to circulation over 2500 pennies, close to 40% of my cent collection at that time. Those returned constituted cents I had kept in error: damaged, excessive wear, die deterioration or corrosion. Also returned to the wild were Zinc cents suffering poor manufacture: planchet issues including egregious split-plating. Oh, I kept a few as specimens just so I could point to them and say “…see how badly they were made?” The rest are now owned by my sons, I enjoyed collecting them over the past 63 years, but it is now time for passing that baton. Just as it is that time in history for the passing of the cent. To stir the pot a little consider this…do you think anyone shed a tear when the half-cent, 2-cent or 3-cent coins were phased out? I would wager a few, but not very many. I will remember collecting cents…starting with IHC and wheat ears in 1962. @masterswimmer @SensibleSal66 @fretboard
The 2 and 3 cent coins weren't around long enough for anyone to care. Judging by the numbers minted, they weren't terribly popular. Same with the 20 cent. Not many people wanted them.
Visited my SDB at M&T Bank this week The girl helping me noticed my Lincoln album. They had ordered boxes of cents from Brinks. Delivered 0. None available in Onondaga County (Syracuse) they were told.
Well, we here up North haven't had the penny for 3-4 years for cash sales. Rounding works, but you pay the cents when when you use credit or debit.
I don't know what's worse the fact that our beloved Cent is gone or that a rounding chart is needed to explain to the public Either way we lost our Cents.
Sometimes I can't help but wonder if there was a similar debate around 1857 about discontinuing the half cent.
I’m thinking there was quite a bit of debate done by the upper level muckity mucks of the Mint and Congress prior to the roll out of the small cent in 1857. But you could probably bet your bottom dollar that they also were at the beginning stages of debate over the inception of the nickel which was initially produced in 1866.
Boo hoo the local banks are running out. The US Mint produced since 2010 100 billion pennies. From 2000-2009 another 75 billion. That's 175 billion just in this century and there are PLENTY from 1959-1999. People will just have to bring in their jars of pennies to coin star, local banks, etc. There are enough in circulation for over 20 more years before this rounding up and down nonsense needs to start. Yes there are some that have been destroyed, because they are made out of zinc for the last 42 years and some have been collected. But it is a drop in the bucket compared to the total output. The population of the US is 342 million. Lets say even 200 million of them have a $5 jar of pennies in their house. That's 100 billion. There's still an equal amount in circulation, and half of those that are sitting in jars can be redeemed. There's no shortage, yet. A majority of people don't even use cash anyway.
One wonders if the Romans felt the same way when the triens, quadrans, semis, etc. went? With all due respect, I won't miss the penny. Every time I got one I just chuck it into a jar, in fact the same jar (until it fills up) I used during my childhood to save pennies. I suppose I could use the Tang bank (remember those?) next. They also deteriorate incredibly quickly. I receive quarters with more enthusiasm; they can be used for the tire air pump.
Just remember that the Zincolns have a limited shelf life. (Actually, they'll probably keep forever in a sealed jar, if anyone wanted to...)
