In the year 1787, the United States made a change regarding economics by introducing a one-cent coin, the penny (source B). As the first authorized currency of the nation, it had great purpose, as well as symbolism. It eventually grew to represent our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln, and all of his accomplishments (1909). Over the course of the past 231 years, a lot has changed. This includes how we view and use the penny in our everyday lives. Its value, convenience, relevance, significance. The famous coin that once changed our economy and set it up for its future has now become irrelevant to our current nation and, as a result, should be abolished. Every day, millions of people travel in and out of stores, making purchases which become prolonged due to a common hassle we all face: fishing through pockets, in search of a nearly insignificant coin, the penny. This may just seem like a nuisance, but
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When people think of the penny, many get the image of a small, bronze, copper coin. Before the year 1982, this idea would be accurate to reality, as the coin was mostly made of copper. However, ever since then, pennies have been composed of “97.5% zinc, with a little copper mixed in for appearance’s sake” (source A). Zinc is being used because it is less costly than copper. Although, even with this modification in its manufacturing design, the coin is still costing more to make than it is worth. Within the past few years, its cost has fluctuated slightly, but has stayed around 1.6 cents. At such a low value to begin with, and costing more to make than its actual value, it is not worth the time, cost, nor the energy being used to produce the penny. While all of this energy and money is going into manufacturing these pennies, the mills could be much more efficient and mass-produce many other coins, more useful than the
When people think of the penny, many get the image of a small, bronze, copper coin. Before the year 1982, this idea would be accurate to reality, as the coin was mostly made of copper. However, ever since then, pennies have been composed of “97.5% zinc, with a little copper mixed in for appearance’s sake” (source A). Zinc is being used because it is less costly than copper. Although, even with this modification in its manufacturing design, the coin is still costing more to make than it is worth. Within the past few years, its cost has fluctuated slightly, but has stayed around 1.6 cents. At such a low value to begin with, and costing more to make than its actual value, it is not worth the time, cost, nor the energy being used to produce the penny. While all of this energy and money is going into manufacturing these pennies, the mills could be much more efficient and mass-produce many other coins, more useful than the