Why Are Pennies Important

The year that the composition of the pennies changed started after 1982, it wasn’t until 1983 did the pennies composition fully changed. Before 1982, the U.S. mint companies made the pennies with a metallic composition of 95% copper and 5% zinc. Sometime in 1982 the U.S. mint companies started to change the metallic compositions of the pennies to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper. It wasn’t until 1983 did the metallic compositions of the pennies fully changeover to 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper (United, 1). The United States Mint source confirmed our experimental conclusion that the pennies composition changed around 1982 to 1983, when we measured the light and heavy pennies, the pennies after 1984 weighed an average of 2.5089 grams. But the pennies

To begin with, pennies aren't the only coins that cost too much to make. According to Jeff Sommer, who wrote the article “Penny Wise,or 2.4 Cents foolish?” he states “Each

Pennies are not useful because of their value Their is no purpose of having it on the money system. 1 cent is nothing when your going to go grocery shopping. Therefore, many people don't like to use pennies they just let it take up space

In 1909, on the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the one cent coin (penny) was introduced. Between 1864 and 1982, the penny was made of 95% copper and 5% zinc and tin. In the 1980s the cost of producing the penny grew to be higher than its face value so, in 1982 the composition of the penny was altered to have a core of zinc metal with a thin copper shell. The percentage of copper now allowed in the penny by Congress is 2.5% by mass.

On top of not having a use, the penny is a big waste of time, literally. Gore, a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley has made a calculation that approximately “four hours per person per year” is wasted on rummaging for pennies which in turn costs the nation “over $15 billion per year.” (Kahn) These $15 billion could be used to create jobs, invest in renewable energy, or invest in education, all of which would greatly improve the nation while at the same time getting rid of a pointless coin.

First, the penny cost too much to make. In the first source it says, “Pennies cost to much to produce than they are worth.” This quote says why make something if you are not making any money on them. Also the first source said, “ After the pennies are made they have to get

The penny,has history, and it can help with charities, people are trying to get rid of the history and more that the penny has made through the 200+ years. Even though the penny costs more than its own value it can change the world. It has made many different communications though the world. Although the penny cost more to make then its price, the penny should stay, to help with charity,A middle school raised over $3000 in a week from a penny drive. The Penny also shows world history because of how long they’ve been around.

To begin with, the penny has been around for a long time, it has influenced our culture and has created many sentimental sayings. “The history of a penny reveals more than just a coin, it exposes a piece of American culture.” (Story) The penny has changed many times. There have been many designs all of which reflect the time they were made. There are also idioms that were created because of the penny, some of which are still used to this day. The saying “ A penny for your thoughts” for

The penny, also known simply as the one-cent coin, was first made about 230 years ago in 1787. The first penny ever made was 100% copper and it was heavier and larger than the usual penny today. The design itself was suggested by the famous Benjamin Franklin ("A Brief History of the U.S. Cent”). Lately, people have talked about the idea of abolishing the penny, but others disagree. The penny should not be abolished.

Plautus once said “You have to spend money to make money,” a quote made painfully true by the penny, a coin worth 1/100th of a dollar. The penny’s story starts in 1792 with the first U.S. Mint which produced the dime, quarter, nickel, penny and half penny which we will get back to later. Pennies were originally made of 100% copper, however, as prices of copper rose they soon started to make pennies out of 95% zinc and 3% copper, which is how they are made today. Soon after this, the raw material of pennies began to cost more than the penny itself was worth, therefore people began to melt them down and sell the material for profit. When this occurred, instead of the government getting rid of the pennies all together and being happy citizens where removing them from circulation they made melting the currency down illegal and continued producing 4 billion pennies a year! You can find these tiny useless coins anywhere from in your couch cushion to on the sidewalk. The reason we should stop minting pennies is that they cost money, waste time, are bad for the environment, and they are useless.

Pennies are used by Americans more than they realize. Parents give pennies to their children to throw into fountains in hopes of having their wish come true. Others rely on finding a penny on the ground for good luck. Despite the little value a penny holds, it may impact the economic status of Americans and charities, has importance in the pricing system, and remains as a part of American history.

Pennies are worthless. According to the spruce.com, “They don’t buy anything, many people just throw them away, and nobody wants to use them so let’s just get rid of them”. Charities need pennies. According to the spruce.com, “Many small charities depend on penny drives to bring in donations”. According to the spruce.com, “People think nothing of pouring out their old penny jars to support these drives, but they won’t part with nickels s easily”. Most Americans use pennies to pay for most of their stuff and donations.

Lesson Objective(s):Students will identify a Penny by name and value, with at least 80% mastery on the independent practice worksheet.

A second reason this should happen is that it is bad for the environment. Creating the penny releases C02 into the air. For example the article Should we get rid of the Penny 8 Reasons to Keep it vs Eliminate it says,”Design Life-Cycle.org a sight created by students at the University of California, calculates that just transporting pennies to banks-not even counting any other stage of production-puts about 1.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (C02) into the atmosphere each year. The penny also contains toxic metals. For example the article Should we get rid of the Penny 8 Reasons to Keep it vs Eliminate it says,”Along with the Zinc the ores usually contain other metals, including toxic metals like Cadmium and Lead. Along with toxic metals the penny uses a surprising amount of metal. The surface metal is only 2.5% of the penny’s entire metal composition. The penny should go away, because of how environmentally unfriendly it

Although this may be true, according to The Ever-Changing Penny, the text states, “In 2011, it cost… 2.4 cents to produce one penny… production costs are slightly lower today… just over 1.8 cents to produce”(Story 5). As a result under this piece of evidence, the price of the penny is lowering every few years. The materials used to construct the penny could be changed to more common and cheap metals. An equally important piece of information comes from the article Penny Wise, or 2.4 Cents Foolish?, where Sommer states, “The mint defer to Congress, and Congress hasn’t told it to abolish the penny. Lawmakers have directed the mint to study ways to make small coins more cheaply”(Sommer 3). Provided the information, the mint has tried to reach out the Congress in hopes of getting an answer, yet the Congress never made a decision. In hope that the U.S. Mint does believe that they can create more efficient pennies with cheaper materials, than the U.S. will keep the one-cent