In 1857, the half cent coin was eliminated because it became more valuable than the face value. It was a copper coin about the size of a quarter.

With inflation, the buying power of that coin in 1857 was approximately equal to a twenty-five cent coin (quarter) today.

 

If we don't have nickles and dimes, how is the government going to nickle and dime us to death?

But, seriously...the government already, "rounds" payments down to the next lower whole dollar amount, even if the difference is 99 cents. Do you want every grocery store and gas station rounding your costs UP to the next dollar?

 

If we don't have nickles and dimes, how is the government going to nickle and dime us to death?

But, seriously...the government already, "rounds" payments down to the next lower whole dollar amount, even if the difference is 99 cents. Do you want every grocery store and gas station rounding your costs UP to the next dollar?

If I have 50 transactions per month, that is an average of $0.50/transaction or $25/month if we would eliminate the quarter and half dollar. If we only eliminate the dime and smaller, the average loss per transaction because of rounding up would be $0.125 so my loss will be $4 per month.

 

If we give up the pennies what am I supposed to bribe my daughter with?

Do you have any idea how much work you can get out of a 7 year old for a dollar in pennies that dollar in cash quarters, dimes or nickels just won't touch?

Cripes if we still had half cent coins that were as big as a quarter I could probably get a month's worth of work out of her for 200 big clanky half cent coins.

 

If we give up the pennies what am I supposed to bribe my daughter with?

Do you have any idea how much work you can get out of a 7 year old for a dollar in pennies that dollar in cash quarters, dimes or nickels just won't touch?

Cripes if we still had half cent coins that were as big as a quarter I could probably get a month's worth of work out of her for 200 big clanky half cent coins.

Just give her a steel fender washer. Oh, wait..
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt...-Steel-Fender-Washer-3-Piece-815841/204284499

 

Just give her a steel fender washer.

Better to pay her the slugs you knock out of electrical boxes.

 

If we give up the pennies what am I supposed to bribe my daughter with?

Do you have any idea how much work you can get out of a 7 year old for a dollar in pennies that dollar in cash quarters, dimes or nickels just won't touch?

Cripes if we still had half cent coins that were as big as a quarter I could probably get a month's worth of work out of her for 200 big clanky half cent coins.

Count yourself lucky that still works! I had to stop that game with my oldest when she was 5 or 6. She got too expensive, demanding several whole dollars for common chores, and more and more each time! From then on it was on a "because I said so" basis. That worked much better; no pointless haggling with an unreasonable miniature woman, no more illusion of choice. The 3 y/o was starting expect multiple dollar bounties for solid excrements toward the end of her potty training too. Good thing she graduated to unassisted toilet sitter before I went broke. Just in time to save the farm and remind me not to repeat my mistake.

 

After the first two hours of voting, I can say that 3 out of 4 people from somewhere on earth think the US should eliminate the penny

.After the four two hours of voting, I can say that 6 out of 8 people from somewhere on earth think the US should eliminate the penny.

 

Count yourself lucky that still works! I had to stop that game with my oldest when she was 5 or 6. She got too expensive, demanding several whole dollars for common chores, and more and more each time!

Actually she's pretty good about helping out for the sake of helping out. If she does a load of my laundry washed and dried without me having to get after her or get her mother after her she gets $1 in any form she wants.

 

If I have 50 transactions per month, that is an average of $0.50/transaction or $25/month if we would eliminate the quarter and half dollar. If we only eliminate the dime and smaller, the average loss per transaction because of rounding up would be $0.125 so my loss will be $4 per month.

Interesting - 'round here prices are so structured as to return (on average) less than $0.20 change without regard to the number or variety of items purchased -- Although a staunch advocate of cash - Let's lose the penny! They're worthless, annoying, metallic litter! --- And I hate them! I hate them!! I hate them!!!

With profuse apologies to Monty Python
HP

 

Here we have eliminated the Cent and the nickel.
But we have a dollar coin in place of the $1 bill.
Max.

 

If I have 50 transactions per month, my loss will be $4 per month.

Let's run the numbers.
Right now, the population of the U.S. is 322 million. http://www.census.gov/popclock/
If half those people handle money and they only perform half the number of transactions you suggested, the difference to the aggregate population will be $3.8 billion per year. If I don't have a cash activity business, I will not receive any of it.

Of course, I could go with the cashless society idea and register every cent of my activities with a plastic card.
Unfortunately, I have a strange aversion to rendering every cent of my financial behavior traceable.

 

I have a strange aversion to rendering every cent of my financial behavior traceable.

I have same aversion and I'm at least better part of 1% as pure and well behaved as avatar suggest!

 

With profuse apologies to Monty Python

HP it's pennies not dirty forks! Now I say time for _you_ to pace your drinking

 

You can reload coins in shotgun shells. Nice load for a 10 Ga. Coach gun.

 

You can reload coins in shotgun shells. Nice load for a 10 Ga. Coach gun.

Cool! Pennies will fit in a 10 ga. which most people don't have. Dimes will fit in a 12 ga. which is more common, but dimes cost ten times as much as pennies.

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/shotguns.html

No link for coin diameters because I merely got out some coins and measured them.

 

...I'm at least better part of 1% as pure and well behaved as avatar suggest!

Another illusion shattered!

You can reload coins in shotgun shells. Nice load for a 10 Ga. Coach gun.

Uh-Huh! --- Nice way to ream the barrel and strip the choke as well

 

If we get rid of the penny, what am I supposed to jam in the fusebox when I'm out of fuses???

 

Another illusion shattered!


Uh-Huh! --- Nice way to ream the barrel and strip the choke as well

Coach gun ain't got no choke.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coach_gun

 

If we get rid of the penny, what am I supposed to jam in the fusebox when I'm out of fuses???

I have used kitkat wrappers, with sometimes pleasingly explosive results.