The American Penny

Karinaxoxo asked:do they have 1c still in america?? - our lowest cent is a 5c peice.

Yes, Karina, They do. The American 1c piece, called the penny, valued at 1c.


Many Americans claim to hate them. You can usually find several of them lying the the parking lot when you go to the store. And in the early 1980's, the value of copper finally exceeded the value of the penny, so the US government made a statement of intent to cease making them. They reasoned that the value was just too small, everyone hates them, and they cost too much to mint.
And the backlash was immediate, incontrovertible, and without question quite American.
It seems that everyone also loves the penny. It is the symbol of the underdog. It represents the value inherent in everything. It defines hope.
Any poor person can gather pennies in the parking lots enough to buy a loaf of bread. Any child can still gather his parents' pennies together and make a pirate fortune.
And in the end, Benjamin Franklin saved the day.
It seems that several American proverbs about the penny originate with him.
"A penny saved is a penny earned."
"Watch your pennies and your dollars with take care of themselves."
So the decision was made to continue minting the penny, but zinc was added to the mix.



Occasionally there is another popular movement to get rid of the pennies.
But that is such an UnAmerican thing to do.