The last penny was minted in Philadelphia today

[Scott Tschirhart]

The passing of an era.

[AJMD429]

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If you have a few pennies and some sandpaper or a concrete block or rock to 'sand' them with, you can at least use them to make a battery in an emergency.

It won't have much power, but will light an LED for a couple days.

Just sand one side of each to get the copper off, put some damp felt or newspaper or whatever in between them, and it really does work. I forget the different electrode potentials of the two (Zn, Cu) but I think you get about one volt per 'cell'. I suppose if you were patient enough to put a couple thousand in parallel in series-of-six, you could make quite the battery...

[JimT]

our government continues to devalue our money ... it wasn't all that long ago (70 years maybe) that you could actually buy something with a penny .,.... now it costs more to make them than they are worth ....

[GunnyMack]

I get a kick out of all these people saying they can't use pennies because they are no longer being minted - they are still legal tender. Until the very last penny is remelted they are currency.

[Griff]

Frankly... I think it's high time we simply remove them from circulation. when I went to New Zealand in 2000 for my family reunion, I found they'd done away with them. I didn't miss them! returning Stateside, was an adjustment! Soon, there'll be a new level of equality in the world... from the richest tycoon, to the jobless pauper... everyone will be penniless!

[JRD]

They stopped minting pennies because it no longer makes cents…

[stretch]

I've got two that I found in the last few months:

One from 1919 and one from 1920.

All copper.

-Stretch

[Ysabel Kid]

They stopped minting pennies because it no longer makes cents…

[rossim92]

so. who has possession of the last penny, gonna be worth a bit in the future as a collector

[765x53]

I believe a simpler and more cost-effective solution would be to eliminate all paper currency and redesignate the cent as a dollar. We would then have $1 through $100 coins which are fast becoming pocket change anyway.

[Twodot]

I get a kick out of all these people saying they can't use pennies because they are no longer being minted - they are still legal tender. Until the very last penny is remelted they are currency.

How about that 'Half Dime" I have in my sock drawer. Think I can buy anything with it at my local Quik Mart?
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