United States Penny And Nickel Discontinued?

That Japanese aluminum one-yen coin has all but disappeared from circulation in Japan.

For many transactions, there won't be any "change" for them to keep. Assuming that American retailers follow the lead of countries that have already abolished their equivalent of a 1 cent coin, then shops that anticipate selling just a few items (such as local corner stores or fast food outlets) will actually lower their prices down, from $x.99 to $x.95 - they would do this to maintain the "cheapness illusion" that 99¢ pricetags create.

Big retailers, the supermarkets and megastores, will probably keep their prices to the nearest cent, and only apply rounding to the final total. So if your grocery bill comes out to $87.26, they'll round it down to $87.25.


No, you couldn't. And if you don't believe me, ask the Romans. The denarius began life in the Republican period as a fine silver coin, slightly bigger than a silver dime. But as the republic evolved into the Empire, cash-strapped emperors discovered they could increase the money supply simply by diluting the coinage, making the finite amount of silver they owned go further. Merchants and foreign powers simply raised their prices to compensate, and so the inflationary spiral began. By 300 AD, the denarius had devolved to a tiny coppery shard with a silver content so low you'd need modern analytical equipment to detect it.

Occasionally, an emperor was wealthy enough and the Empire prosperous enough to attempt to reverse the decline and un-inflate the denarius, but such reforms were always short-lived, undone either by that emperor's successors or by that emperor himself when he needed the cash.

Granted, without paper money, credit cards and the other jiggery-pokery of the modern financial system, the whole process took longer - centuries instead of decades. But it still happened.

Sap made a good point. The problem is greed - and that will never be ousted from the human nature.

However, there IS some vailidity to the idea of not printing money at such an insane pace.

If we would get back to a congress who understands the concept historically proven in the US to keep us on the profit side aka. let the people keep more of the money they make; business owners re-invest to keep on the cutting edge or else go under if they simply pocket the profits; more jobs are created to fill the ongoing research/production/product concepts/dispersal etc.; so the economy as a whole comes out on top with a balanced budget, the system will have to work again. The profit cycle continues.

Our history proves it cannot be stopped by anything but human intervention of powermongers and greed.

But isn't it the governments duty, to provide us with coinage? Yeah I get how yoou think it shouldn't cost more than face, but as soon as each penny is spent four times, does that not makes the governments investment worth it?

Aww, whatever, they'll be gettin' rid of it soon enough, just because we did

They are trying their hardest not to stop the penny or nickel production. If you take out the penny and nickel, inflation will happen faster. They won't even print $500 bill because of this. Inflation hurts the rich and not as much for the middle class or poor. If you have lots of money, inflation is your ENEMY, then you want to stop inflation by all means. If you are in lot's of debt, have a huge mortgage with low interest and etc, inflation is your FRIEND. If you live paycheck to paycheck and no money, no debts, bring on the inflation and let the filthy rich suffer. The rich run this country and inflation has been low for 30 years.

The lid is about to burst and here comes our next bubble. Mark my word.

No, it will not.

I am sure if they stop making them for circulation, they will still make them for collectors. Just look at the Kennedy half dollar, for example.