The U.S. Mint Strikes Its Last Penny Today — Halts Production After 232 Years Citing ‘Government Waste’

The United States Mint struck its final circulating one-cent coin at its Philadelphia facility today, ending 232 years of continuous penny production.

The move stems from mounting production costs and changing payment habits. The Mint estimates that each penny now costs approximately 3.69 cents to produce, almost four times its face value.

President Donald Trump announced in February that he was ordering his administration to end production of the coin, citing government waste.

No new pennies will be manufactured for circulation. Limited collector editions may still be produced, but mass minting has ended.

The U.S. Mint Strikes Its Last Penny Today — Halts Production After 232 Years Citing 'Government Waste' | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hᴏft

The United States Mint struck its final circulating one-cent coin at its Philadelphia facility today, ending 232 years of continuous penny production.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

 

[Cheeky200386]

We used to "spend a penny" when I was a kid, and "go tuppence." I may be the only person here who knows what both expressions meant ... and why.

“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag…” Mary Poppins

 

[mattfivefour]

“Feed the birds, tuppence a bag…” Mary Poppins

Back when I was a child in England, public toilets were on a pay basis. For one penny the stall door would lock long enough for you to empty your bladder and then it would unlock, leaving you open to being exposed. But if you needed to have a bowel movement, the door would not lock long enough for you to complete the job; so you had to put tuppence (two pennies) in the coin slot. This would allow you sufficient time to finish. Hence "I have to spend a penny" or "I need to go tuppence" became ways of letting someone (such as your parent) know whether you had to go number 1 or number 2, regardless of whether you were using a public toilet.

 

[Cheeky200386]

Back when I was a child in England, public toilets were on a pay basis. For one penny the stall door would lock long enough for you to empty your bladder and then it would unlock, leaving you open to being exposed. But if you needed to have a bowel movement, the door would not lock long enough for you to complete the job; so you had to put tuppence (two pennies) in the coin slot. This would allow you sufficient time to finish. Hence "I have to spend a penny" or "I need to go tuppence" became ways of letting someone (such as your parent) know whether you had to go number 1 or number 2, regardless of whether you were using a public toilet.

Wow! I never knew that. I would hate to run out of time

 

[Amethyst]

Back when I was a child in England, public toilets were on a pay basis. For one penny the stall door would lock long enough for you to empty your bladder and then it would unlock, leaving you open to being exposed. But if you needed to have a bowel movement, the door would not lock long enough for you to complete the job; so you had to put tuppence (two pennies) in the coin slot. This would allow you sufficient time to finish. Hence "I have to spend a penny" or "I need to go tuppence" became ways of letting someone (such as your parent) know whether you had to go number 1 or number 2, regardless of whether you were using a public toilet.

This sounds horrid to people who have suffered with shy bladder or shy bowel !

 

[mattfivefour]

This sounds horrid to people who have suffered with shy bladder or shy bowel !

Yes, but that is the way it was back then. We have a LOT more comforts today than they had back then. But, having lived in both eras, I am not sure we are really better off now. Certainly, from a medical standpoint we are far better off. But that's about it. I think we were a lot better off with nuclear families who did things together, no television, no tablets or mobile phones, daily meals together with actual conversation, kids playing together indoors and outdoors every day. I genuinely feel very sad that today's children will never know the richness of life and togetherness that we had back then.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

Yes, but that is the way it was back then. We have a LOT more comforts today than they had back then. But, having lived in both eras, I am not sure we are really better off now. Certainly, from a medical standpoint we are far better off. But that's about it. I think we were a lot better off with nuclear families who did things together, no television, no tablets or mobile phones, daily meals together with actual conversation, kids playing together indoors and outdoors every day. I genuinely feel very sad that today's children will never know the richness of life and togetherness that we had back then.

And walking to and from the neighborhood schools

And learning about bikes, skateboards, motorcycles, and cars by building and/or fixing them ourselves

And learning entrepreneurship and earning money shoveling snow, raking leaves, mowing yards, paper routes, etc.

 

[mattfivefour]

You bet, sis.

I know I sound like an old fogey, but as I look at the world today I truly believe we are not as spiritually or emotionally as well off now as we were then.

 

[Tall Timbers]

And learning entrepreneurship and

What I see more often than not here is a parent, almost always a mom, announcing on social media that their kid is available for whatever it is they're offering to do. I rarely see the kids/ young folks advertising themselves.

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

What I see more often than not here is a parent, almost always a mom, announcing on social media that their kid is available for whatever it is they're offering to do. I rarely see the kids/ young folks advertising themselves.

The kids don't learn anything that way.

I went door-to-door, shovel in hand. Once I had a good reputation, I had standing orders and other kids figured out pretty quickly not to even bother those houses For awhile, I had all the houses that hired on our block. Big snowfalls, and there were a LOT of them back then, meant lots of hard work, with commensurate monetary rewards Trusty heavy steel shovel, sharpened and well abused . . . very rarely did I have to resort to the ice chopper. Competition meant everyone worked faster and did a better job, so the whole neighborhood benefited. People, who did their own, found out if they did a lousy job on their walks and driveways that a kid would soon be at their door wanting $ to fix/finish it

When a big blizzard hit, everyone was out shoveling the streets and alleys so everyone could get to work. The snow emergency routes (blue signs, no parking, immediate tow) got done first, so it would be a day or two before the side streets got done. Odd days, N-S (green street signs), even days E-W (brown street signs), so people knew where they could and couldn't park every day, IIRC, the plows didn't go down the alleys.

Younger siblings had paper routes and eventually sewed up the raking at the houses that hired for that on our block. I hated raking, so I waited for snow and ice season

 

[Ghoti Ichthus]

I wonder when the first "Bring Back Pennies" protests will start here and whether they'll start in the "official designated protest areas" or at a point of sale
Minnesota: Land of 10,000 Protests

 

[Tall Timbers]

My wife likes to pay in cash and got the short change treatment at the local Wal*Mart. I suggested she carry pennies with her to keep from getting short changed.