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The Legalization Of The Penny In Today's Society

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The penny was first legalised by the Coinage Act of 1864. But was not printed until 1906 when Abraham Lincoln was the first historical figures portrayed on a United States coin. Back when pennies were first made, the value of the penny was extremely high. But since the time that the penny was first introduced to now, prices have risen by the extreme. With other coins and even dollar bills now, the penny is less likely to be used, except for change. The production of the penny needs to be ended because it costs more to make than it is worth, it is a hassle to use and it useless in today's society. The product of the penny cost more to produce than its own worth. “The cost of making the pennies (1.26 cents each) is higher than face value…” (about.com). The United States Mint company is actually losing money when sending pennies out to different companies and places. The government is losing around 53 million dollars every year by producing the penny, and that price is only raising. Since many people don’t use the pennies they have and they either keep them or throw they away, the …show more content…

“ A penny has little value and little buying power, especially compared to what it had a century ago” (savingadvice.com). There is no where you can go and buy something for one single penny. In the past, stores would have little candies for one penny. Nowadays since prices have raised so high over the years, vending machines and most parking meters do not even accept pennies. “Most people throw away 4 cents worth of pennies into the jar (or trash) each day” (about.com). Pennies are so worthless to us that people throw them away! People are throwing away money. If a person threw away 4 pennies a day and lived for an average of 80 year, that person would be throwing away 1,168 dollars in their lifetime. Pennies add up after a long time, but no one keeps them around for that

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