Why does it exist?

View attachment 137240

Did you take it yourself?

 

Nice!

Question is where? My guess Ireland. Ring of Kerry maybe?

 

This is an unusual fence at a local restaurant. Can you guess how it started out its life?

Spoiler

It was made from old steam or hot water radiators.

 

Steam radiators.

 

It is basically zinc with a copper (~2.5%) case.

It cost 0.015 USD to make!

It is largely without utility.

Why does it exist?

Why do I still bend down and pick one up when I spot an abandoned one?

Canada eliminated them 5 years ago.
Max.

 

Why does it exist?

Per the zinc lobby (i.e. the most biased possible source):

• Increased cost – A report by Navigant Consulting commissioned by Jarden Zinc, which supplies zinc to the Mint, found that the government would lose money without the penny. According to Americans for Common Cents' website, "First, the Mint's fabrication and distribution costs include fixed components that will continue to be incurred whether or not the Mint produces the penny. Navigant estimates this fixed component at $13 million in FY 2011. Plus, there is $17.7 million in Mint overhead allocated to the penny that would have to be absorbed by the remaining denominations of circulating coins without the penny. Second, under current Mint accounting, the nickel costs eleven cents to manufacture. In a scenario where nickel production doubled without the penny, Navigant concludes that with existing fixed costs, eliminating the penny would likely result in increased net costs to the Mint of $10.9 million, relative to the current state."[24][25]

The obvious solution is to also eliminate the nickel at the same time.

 

When I went to Cancun Mexico, from arrival at the airport on, there was a continuous sales pitches for time-share.
I eventually went to one, but drew the line.
Max.

 

Natural Fractals in the high desert.

 

Per the zinc lobby (i.e. the most biased possible source):

• Increased cost – A report by Navigant Consulting commissioned by Jarden Zinc, which supplies zinc to the Mint, found that the government would lose money without the penny. According to Americans for Common Cents' website, "First, the Mint's fabrication and distribution costs include fixed components that will continue to be incurred whether or not the Mint produces the penny. Navigant estimates this fixed component at $13 million in FY 2011. Plus, there is $17.7 million in Mint overhead allocated to the penny that would have to be absorbed by the remaining denominations of circulating coins without the penny. Second, under current Mint accounting, the nickel costs eleven cents to manufacture. In a scenario where nickel production doubled without the penny, Navigant concludes that with existing fixed costs, eliminating the penny would likely result in increased net costs to the Mint of $10.9 million, relative to the current state."[24][25]

The obvious solution is to also eliminate the nickel at the same time.

I had not known that about the cost of the five cent piece. But, at least the nickel has some use, in my opinion. Remember, these coins can easily last 30-40 years or more. There doesn't appear to be any shortage of coins .01-.25. But the one cent coin just does not seem to be needed - it's like junk mail...print it up, deliver it, throw it out. Also, maybe there are some shut down costs, but is the alternative that we must continue to make the cent forever

And what about all the small dollar coins? With the $1 bill still around (lasts about 18 months) they never caught on - Susan B Anthony, then Sacagawea and then, concurrently the Presidentials.

It just doesn't seem right.

Edited to add, BTW: This is what a US Cent looked like a while ago:


Diameter of ~ 1 1⁄8 inch weight ~11 gms and 100% copper - now that's a cent!

 

Canada eliminated them 5 years ago.
Max.

Have they been missed? (I'm guessing not)

Also Canada's Loonies seemed to work out well from what I heard (the Toonies also), but of course they got rid of the paper dollar bill at the same time as I remember.

 

Have they been missed? (I'm guessing not)

Also Canada's Loonies seemed to work out well from what I heard (the Toonies also), but of course they got rid of the paper dollar bill at the same time as I remember.

Canada found a perfect way to escape the lobbies. They didn’t simply discontinue the penny. The zinc lobby had great arguments of how important the penny was (just like they are claiming in the US). The consumer is going to get screwed out of all of this fractional cents. So, the intelligent Canadian mint made sure all of the citizens are protected and they kept the penny but, in 2000, they eliminated the zinc and filled it with steel.

Then, 10-years later, the next attempt to get rid of the penny had no lobbiests - the penny made such a small fraction of the steel market that the steel industry wouldn’t spend $5 to save the penny. Gone in 2012.

 

Canada found a perfect way to escape the lobbies. They didn’t simply discontinue the penny. The zinc lobby had great arguments of how important the penny was (just like they are claiming in the US). The consumer is going to get screwed out of all of this fractional cents. So, the intelligent Canadian mint made sure all of the citizens are protected and they kept the penny but, in 2000, they eliminated the zinc and filled it with steel.

Then, 10-years later, the next attempt to get rid of the penny had no lobbiests - the penny made such a small fraction of the steel market that the steel industry wouldn’t spend $5 to save the penny. Gone in 2012.

It would be interesting to go back and research how/why the US got rid of obsolete coinage in the past. Only nerdy numismatists may know this, but the US has made two cent pieces, three cent pieces (very tiny silver ones and cupro-nickel ones), half-dimes (silver, before the 5 cent nickel) and even 20 cent pieces. Even more when you include gold coins over a dollar.

I wonder who, if anyone objected to getting rid of them or if the mint director just said - that's it, we're done with these dang three cent pieces.

 

It would be interesting to go back and research how/why the US got rid of obsolete coinage in the past. Only nerdy numismatists may know this, but the US has made two cent pieces, three cent pieces (very tiny silver ones and cupro-nickel ones), half-dimes (silver, before the 5 cent nickel) and even 20 cent pieces. Even more when you include gold coins over a dollar.

I wonder who, if anyone objected to getting rid of them or if the mint director just said - that's it, we're done with these dang three cent pieces.

The US got rid of a half cent piece as well. In 1857. If adjusted for inflation, a half Penney then is about 12.5 cents now. We should get rid of the penny, nickel and dime.

 

The US got rid of a half cent piece as well. In 1857. If adjusted for inflation, a half Penney then is about 12.5 cents now. We should get rid of the penny, nickel and dime.

Yes, I forgot about the half cent and I even have one.

Personally, I think coins looked much more artistic, back in the day.

 

Edited to add, BTW: This is what a US Cent looked like a while ago:

Diameter of ~ 1 1⁄8 inch weight ~11 gms and 100% copper - now that's a cent!

That looks like it was based on the English Pence (penny).
Also the half-penny was similar.
Max.

 

Once again, I'm in awe of my wife's knack for perspective and capturing the moment. These are four stray kitties that like to hang out in my backyard:

​

 

Once again, I'm in awe of my wife's knack for perspective and capturing the moment. These are four stray kitties that like to hang out in my backyard:
/---/

 

Last week some colleagues and I wrapped a big ship in plastic.


She had some Wharf borer.

 

Last week some colleagues and I wrapped a big ship in plastic.
View attachment 137904

She had some Wharf borer.

And I assume the plastic is used to keep a tight seal after the vessel has been fumigated?

 

The thing that is causing concern here is an arrival of a invasive species, namely Zebra Mussels.
Both to boating and the environment.
Evidently originating from Russia.
Max.