Making The "It's Not A Penny, It's A Cent" People Cringe

I may need corrected about this but I think the term cent is relayed to Latin in a meaning of 100th. This also is where we get the term "per cent" = per centum = per 100.

In the original picture posted on this thread you can see where every denomination is given its value first (in cents), and then the name used by people to describe what the coin is called:



Since this is the case, technically we should have people discussing whether or not it is "right" to say I collect "Jefferson 5-cent pieces," rather than I collect "Jefferson Nickels."

And, BTW, I know growing up in the 60s-70s I heard older people using the terms "5 cent piece," "50 cent piece," and more rarely, "25 cent piece." The rest were called by their "common" (for lack of better term) names.

And then there was always the "5 and dime" store...

Because Americans used the word "penny" so often instead of "cent," some Korean collectors are calling the Lincoln Cent a "Lincoln 1 penny coin"!

Why is that funny? goes back to silver coins used in the USA. pieces of 8, because you cut the reale that was used as $1 worth of silver in the colonial US into 8 pieces and now you had bits. 8 bits to a bollar, making each 12.5 cents, so 2 bits is 25 cents.

thus "shave and a haircut two bits" meant it cost 25 cents for both at that time.

I even still say it today sometimes.