Could Eliminating The Penny Finally Happen?

It should be eliminated if for no other reason than it's a disgrace to this nation's proud coinage history.

Calling this a "new idea" in the headline is ludicrous. We've been debating this for years, if not decades.

Big Zinc vociferously opposes this proposal.

Interestingly, in the UK when the old penny and threepence were eliminated in 1971, values increased to begin with and then slumped, and the same happened in 2002 in France with the franc coins. In both countries there was frantic change-checking to acquire rarities before demonetisation, and collectors bought lots of older, scarcer and better condition coins from dealers to complete their sets. But in both cases this was followed by a loss of interest as British collectors moved on to pre-1947 silver and French collectors started trying to get all the different Euro coins.

Of course the USA could simply stop making 1c coins without actually withdrawing and demonetising them, as France did with the 1-centime coin in the early 1970s. Gradually shops just stopped bothering to give them in change, and by 1980 they had practically disappeared, although theoretically you could still spend them up to February 2002.

They would disappear from change within six months, a year max. We mint billions every year because billions are lost every year.

Just do it already along with replacing the dollar note with a coin .
See just how serious the new government is about cutting waste .
This would be a small start .
A compromise would be to continue the cent as a Bronze Proof
Only issue in the annual silver set .

thanks Helder for the link - it was interesting..