• The Penny, 1792-2025

    From Turd Ferguson@tferg@snl.com to alt.obituaries on Wed Nov 12 20:03:16 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    COIN LOSS: The United States ended production of the penny on Wednesday.
    For more than 230 years, the penny has circulated through American piggy
    banks and cash registers. But rising production costs rCo each penny now
    costs nearly 4 cents to make rCo and shifts in consumer behavior have made
    it impractical to keep producing them.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 01:33:10 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    Turd Ferguson <tferg@snl.com> wrote:

    COIN LOSS: The United States ended production of the penny on Wednesday.
    For more than 230 years, the penny has circulated through American piggy >banks and cash registers. But rising production costs - each penny now
    costs nearly 4 cents to make - and shifts in consumer behavior have made
    it impractical to keep producing them.

    A coin circulates numerous times. The fact that it costs more to produce
    than its face value is meaningless.

    The real question is why we don't have coins to replace $1 and $5
    currency.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From danny burstein@dannyb@panix.com to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 01:36:46 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    In <10f3cgm$1r6qi$2@dont-email.me> "Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> writes:

    [snip]

    A coin circulates numerous times. The fact that it costs more to produce
    than its face value is meaningless.

    The real question is why we don't have coins to replace $1 and $5
    currency.

    me want US Twoney!
    --
    _____________________________________________________
    Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
    dannyb@panix.com
    [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
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  • From SURNAME@SURNAME@panix.removethispart.com (J.D. Baldwin) to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 01:41:08 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries


    In the previous article, Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
    COIN LOSS: The United States ended production of the penny on
    Wednesday. For more than 230 years, the penny has circulated
    through American piggy banks and cash registers. But rising
    production costs - each penny now costs nearly 4 cents to make -
    and shifts in consumer behavior have made it impractical to keep
    producing them.

    A coin circulates numerous times. The fact that it costs more to
    produce than its face value is meaningless.

    The real question is why we don't have coins to replace $1 and $5
    currency.

    Because we are Americans, and we are simultaneously smarter than, and
    way stupider than, the rest of the world.

    Smarter because we know that coins for denominations like $1 are
    idiotic -- I'm carrying about 30 bills right now (not just ones, but
    they might as well be), and it's a trivial weight. But 30 hefty coins
    are a different matter entirely. That would suck to carry around.

    Stupider because when we finally came up with a dollar coin intended
    to be introduced into regular circulation, we made it look really
    close to the quarter. God, we're idiots.
    --
    jd
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From danny burstein@dannyb@panix.com to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 01:46:19 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    In <10f3cvk$sen$1@reader2.panix.com> SURNAME@panix.removethispart.com (J.D. Baldwin) writes:

    [snip]

    The real question is why we don't have coins to replace $1 and $5
    currency.

    Because we are Americans, and we are simultaneously smarter than, and
    way stupider than, the rest of the world.

    Smarter because we know that coins for denominations like $1 are
    idiotic -- I'm carrying about 30 bills right now (not just ones, but
    they might as well be), and it's a trivial weight. But 30 hefty coins
    are a different matter entirely. That would suck to carry around.

    Stupider because when we finally came up with a dollar coin intended
    to be introduced into regular circulation, we made it look really
    close to the quarter. God, we're idiots.

    Hence we should look to the north (for most of us) to
    our neighbor, Canada, and check out their two dollar
    coin affectionetly called the "toonie".

    Note how it's a two parter, with a separate
    disc sticking up from the center. Very easy
    to tell from the others.

    (their one dollar coin, which has an engraved "loon"
    on it, is called... a "loonie", hence the obivous
    extension to the toonie..

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie.
    --
    _____________________________________________________
    Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key
    dannyb@panix.com
    [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From David Carson@davidc@wa-wd.com to alt.obituaries on Wed Nov 12 21:10:16 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    On Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:46:19 -0000 (UTC), danny burstein
    <dannyb@panix.com> wrote:

    Hence we should look to the north (for most of us) to
    our neighbor, Canada, and check out their two dollar
    coin affectionetly called the "toonie".

    Meanwhile, I'm holding onto my Republic of Texas currency, just in case...

    David Carson
    --
    Dead or Alive Data Base
    http://www.doadb.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From SURNAME@SURNAME@panix.removethispart.com (J.D. Baldwin) to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 11:07:16 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries


    In the previous article, danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote:
    Stupider because when we finally came up with a dollar coin
    intended to be introduced into regular circulation, we made it look
    really close to the quarter. God, we're idiots.

    Hence we should look to the north (for most of us) to
    our neighbor, Canada, and check out their two dollar
    coin affectionetly called the "toonie".

    Note how it's a two parter, with a separate
    disc sticking up from the center. Very easy
    to tell from the others.

    Unfortunately, we are stuck with the current dollar-coin design
    forever, because changing it would require refit of millions of
    vending machines. Like I said: stupid.
    --
    jd
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From gazelle@gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 11:45:53 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    In article <10f4e54$c2$1@reader2.panix.com>,
    J.D. Baldwin <news@baldwin.users.panix.com> wrote:

    In the previous article, danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> wrote:
    Stupider because when we finally came up with a dollar coin
    intended to be introduced into regular circulation, we made it look
    really close to the quarter. God, we're idiots.

    Hence we should look to the north (for most of us) to
    our neighbor, Canada, and check out their two dollar
    coin affectionetly called the "toonie".

    Note how it's a two parter, with a separate
    disc sticking up from the center. Very easy
    to tell from the others.

    Unfortunately, we are stuck with the current dollar-coin design
    forever, because changing it would require refit of millions of
    vending machines. Like I said: stupid.

    Serious question: Are there any (US) dollar coins currently being minted?

    I'm actually kind of intrigued by "non-standard" US coins/currency (e.g., dollar coins and 2 dollar bills) and have collections of some or all of
    these.

    Anyway, regarding your question: There are (at least) 3 different kinds of dollar coins that have been minted and are (to the best of my knowledge)
    still legal US tender:

    1) Traditional 19th century silver dollars (obviously, no one who has
    one is going to circulate it, but they legally could do so)
    2) Susan B. Anthony
    3) Sacajeways (I'm sure this is misspelled!).

    The last two, in particular, aren't exactly the same, so I doubt vending machines could handle both (or are likely to want to handle either).
    AmIRight?

    Finally, as much as I like the abstract idea of coins larger (in value)
    than the quarter, I agree with you that it is a pain in the pocket, so to speak, to carry them around. I have yet to come up with any good way to
    carry coins around and generally get rid of any change I do pick up as soon
    as I can. I do not lament the loss of the penny (the subject of this
    thread) at all.

    In fact, I try to avoid using cash at all as much as possible, but there
    remain situations where it is useful.
    --
    Trump allies on Fox News absurdly argue he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize
    for escalating tensions with Iran via unauthorized military strikes.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 12:52:20 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:

    Serious question: Are there any (US) dollar coins currently being minted?

    The Sacagawea ended in 2008, then the Native American dollar coins that
    has Sacagawea on the obverse and different designs on the reverse each
    year, plus four presidential coins 2007-2016, neither of which have been
    issued for circulating quantities after 2011. There's a series of dollar
    coins for each state starting in 2019, but these were not produced in circulating quantities.

    Minted? Starting in 2012, in quantities adequate for collectibles, but
    not general circulation.

    The half dollar has not been produced in large quantity starting in
    2002, but they can still be ordered by the Fed for circulation. It's
    probably a special order at a bank.

    . . .
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From gazelle@gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 13:00:12 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    In article <10f4ka4$24r3e$1@dont-email.me>,
    Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
    Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:

    Serious question: Are there any (US) dollar coins currently being minted?

    The Sacagawea ended in 2008, then the Native American dollar coins that
    has Sacagawea on the obverse and different designs on the reverse each
    year, plus four presidential coins 2007-2016, neither of which have been >issued for circulating quantities after 2011. There's a series of dollar >coins for each state starting in 2019, but these were not produced in >circulating quantities.

    Very interesting. Thanks.

    Does this mean I could go to my local bank and get some of these?
    --
    The difference between communism and capitalism?
    In capitalism, man exploits man. In communism, it's the other way around.

    - Daniel Bell, The End of Ideology (1960) -
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to alt.obituaries on Thu Nov 13 13:15:24 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:
    Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
    Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:

    Serious question: Are there any (US) dollar coins currently being minted?

    The Sacagawea ended in 2008, then the Native American dollar coins that
    has Sacagawea on the obverse and different designs on the reverse each >>year, plus four presidential coins 2007-2016, neither of which have been >>issued for circulating quantities after 2011. There's a series of dollar >>coins for each state starting in 2019, but these were not produced in >>circulating quantities.

    Very interesting. Thanks.

    Does this mean I could go to my local bank and get some of these?

    It's possible they'd have some on hand. Retail stores order coins by the sleeve. If you did that, you'd get a mix of Suzy B.'s and Sacagaweas
    through 2011, and anything later that's circulating because someone
    spent coins from a collection. Eisenhower dollars tend to stay in Las
    Vegas dollar slot machines.

    I looked up the information at the U.S. Mint Web site.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From s|b@me@privacy.invalid to alt.obituaries on Fri Nov 14 13:49:12 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    On Thu, 13 Nov 2025 01:33:10 -0000 (UTC), Adam H. Kerman wrote:

    A coin circulates numerous times. The fact that it costs more to produce
    than its face value is meaningless.

    The real question is why we don't have coins to replace $1 and $5
    currency.

    Strippers.
    --
    s|b
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From s|b@me@privacy.invalid to alt.obituaries on Fri Nov 14 13:58:30 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    On Wed, 12 Nov 2025 20:03:16 -0500, Turd Ferguson wrote:

    COIN LOSS: The United States ended production of the penny on Wednesday.
    For more than 230 years, the penny has circulated through American piggy banks and cash registers. But rising production costs rCo each penny now costs nearly 4 cents to make rCo and shifts in consumer behavior have made it impractical to keep producing them.

    In the EU, it didn't take long to change the rules about 1 and 2 cent
    (eurocent if you will). But it wouldn't be the EU if the rules weren't different in the member states. Some countries stopped using them,
    others still use them and then there are countries who use rounding.

    These are the rounding rules in Belgium: <https://economie.fgov.be/en/themes/sales/payments/mandatory-rounding-cash>

    I'm guessing this is just temporary until it's decided that we too won't
    use 1 and 2 cent anymore.
    --
    s|b
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From gazelle@gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) to alt.obituaries on Fri Nov 14 14:00:01 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    In article <10f3cgm$1r6qi$2@dont-email.me>,
    Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
    Turd Ferguson <tferg@snl.com> wrote:

    COIN LOSS: The United States ended production of the penny on Wednesday. >>For more than 230 years, the penny has circulated through American piggy >>banks and cash registers. But rising production costs - each penny now >>costs nearly 4 cents to make - and shifts in consumer behavior have made >>it impractical to keep producing them.

    A coin circulates numerous times. The fact that it costs more to produce
    than its face value is meaningless.

    The theory is that if the coin is worth more in raw materials (mainly, the metal(s)) than its face value, then, well, obviously, you have a problem (*).

    That has been true of various coins at various times in history, but
    probably isn't a serious consideration today. But old habits die hard.
    That is, I think a lot of the thinking in the minds of the people who run
    these things is still, shall we say, stuck in the past.

    (*) And note that this could actually be a problem today for the penny,
    given that copper is getting expensive - which is to say, we are beginning
    to run out of it - and this will only get worse and worse with the
    widespread deployment of (quote-unquote) "AI".
    --
    "If our country is going broke, let it be from feeding the poor and caring for the elderly. And not from pampering the rich and fighting wars for them."

    --Living Blue in a Red State--
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  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to alt.obituaries on Fri Nov 14 18:27:22 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:
    Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
    Turd Ferguson <tferg@snl.com> wrote:

    COIN LOSS: The United States ended production of the penny on Wednesday. >>>For more than 230 years, the penny has circulated through American piggy >>>banks and cash registers. But rising production costs - each penny now >>>costs nearly 4 cents to make - and shifts in consumer behavior have made >>>it impractical to keep producing them.

    A coin circulates numerous times. The fact that it costs more to produce >>than its face value is meaningless.

    The theory is that if the coin is worth more in raw materials (mainly, the >metal(s)) than its face value, then, well, obviously, you have a problem (*).

    That has been true of various coins at various times in history, but
    probably isn't a serious consideration today. But old habits die hard.
    That is, I think a lot of the thinking in the minds of the people who run >these things is still, shall we say, stuck in the past.

    (*) And note that this could actually be a problem today for the penny,
    given that copper is getting expensive - which is to say, we are beginning
    to run out of it - and this will only get worse and worse with the
    widespread deployment of (quote-unquote) "AI".

    The Mint reduced the amount of silver used in silver coins in the 1960s,
    then eliminated it in 1971. Nickels were never mostly nickel. The amount
    of copper in pennies has been reduced to negligible amounts as the value
    of copper has changed.

    If a penny were used for a single transaction, then it's a problem, but
    given that they are used for multiple transactions, it's not a problem.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From gazelle@gazelle@shell.xmission.com (Kenny McCormack) to alt.obituaries on Fri Nov 14 19:23:45 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    In article <10f7sa9$30kug$3@dont-email.me>,
    Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
    ...
    If a penny were used for a single transaction, then it's a problem, but
    given that they are used for multiple transactions, it's not a problem.

    OK. But note that you are talking about actual, scientific facts, while I
    am talking about human psychology and history.

    And, yes, I am (was) aware that the penny nowadays is mostly zinc and very little copper.
    --
    He continues to assert that 2 plus 2 equals 4, despite being repeatedly
    told otherwise.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Adam H. Kerman@ahk@chinet.com to alt.obituaries on Fri Nov 14 20:39:12 2025
    From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

    Kenny McCormack <gazelle@shell.xmission.com> wrote:
    Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

    ...

    If a penny were used for a single transaction, then it's a problem, but >>given that they are used for multiple transactions, it's not a problem.

    OK. But note that you are talking about actual, scientific facts, while I
    am talking about human psychology and history.

    Fair enough

    And, yes, I am (was) aware that the penny nowadays is mostly zinc and very >little copper.
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2