I really scared my wife the other morning when I saw the news and yelled out, “Oh no!!!! No!” She came running into the living room and was like, “What? What’s wrong?”
They’re going to stop making the penny next year. Why? Well, they’re expensive. Each one costs over 3 cents to produce, and they haven’t been made totally of copper since the early 80s, so the time’s come. While some may celebrate this, I’m already mourning the loss.
Pennies bring back memories for me. They remind me of being a little kid, searching through couch cushions on a rainy day. They make me think of my late father, who stored all his pennies in old Nestle Quick tins until he had enough to sort through. We’d spend hours at the kitchen table looking for key dates to add to a blue coin collecting hobby book. They remind me of starting over after a divorce – every penny counted – they still do. Pennies helped me bond with my daughter. We’d walk around town and parking lots to look for loose change when she was little. She still does this today (me too), even though she’s in her 20s. Every now and then she’ll text me a picture of some pennies she’s found.
I know it’s only a cent, and we still have until next year, but I’m going to miss the little penny.
Learn more about the phasing out of the penny here.