I’m one of those lucky fellows who occasionally find coins on the streets and parking lots. My early jackpots were humble pennies. But lately, I get nickels, dimes, and even the occasional quarter.
And once in a while—eureka!—a loonie or toonie, the jackpot of sidewalk archaeology.
Till now, the only place I still discover street pennies was whenever I crossed the border down South. But even there, my copper comfort is fading. The U.S. Treasury is quietly showing the penny the exit door. Perhaps the famously frugal Donald Trump discovered that it costs four cents to mint one cent—an economics lesson that could make even Wall Street weep. The last American penny rolled out on November 1, marking the end of the one-cent dynasty.
Americans may not feel the “penny pinch,” but the nation’s fountains will suddenly find their wishes running dry. And those “leave a penny, take a penny” trays at checkout counters will soon have to graduate to “leave a nickel—if you dare.”
There are hundreds of quotes built around the noble penny. Will they be re-minted into nickels, dimes, or quarters? Hard to say. But as Benjamin Franklin famously put it, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Even if the penny retires, the wisdom—like good copper—never tarnishes.
After all, every one of them is still worth… well, every penny.
Promod Puri.com 