New Lincoln Pennies

1. SenorMysterioso
   September 24th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

   But I like the penny the way it is

2. Algonkin
   September 24th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

   A few questions come to mind....

   1) Will it be copper?
   2) Are pennies really necessary theses days?

   Why not round out an item at $2.00 instead of $1.99?
   Pennies are useless if you ask me. You only end up rolling the damned things anyway.

3. alison
   September 24th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

   UGLY and unnecessary, I agree with algonkin

4. Alex
   September 24th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

   The reason that stores price things at .99 instead of rounding it up to the next dollar is because psychologically it makes the product "feel" cheaper to many people (not all).

5. shecky
   September 24th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

   Why bother minting new pennies at all? If anything, they need to be phased out.

6. Denise Smith
   September 24th, 2008 at 2:00 pm

   Wow Alex. . . your observation of the obvious is quite remarkable!!!

7. CheeseDuck
   September 24th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

   I remember reading that in "Matilda"!

8. renderanything
   September 24th, 2008 at 2:31 pm

   I recently was able to see how these things are designed nowadays. Most people wouldn't suspect that the designs are made by US Mint staff using ZBrush software from Pixologic.
   All that work for something many people now view as worthless. Some countries just throw the things away. I lived in Brazil for a few years, and only ever saw one penny the whole time. All purchases are either rounded up or down.

9. Allen T Garvin
   September 24th, 2008 at 2:49 pm

   Man, Abe is slacking off again, reading some book when he's supposed to be splitting wood. One of these days, he's gonna get fired.

10. SenorMysterioso
    September 24th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

    I hope it never gets phased out. Even if it does cost more to mint them than they are worth. If every purchaseyou made got rounded up, you could lose one - four cents on everything you buy. That would add up pretty quick

11. Aea
    September 24th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    I'm with those surprised these things will even be minted. Given the chance I prefer to pay for EVERYTHING with a card, must more convenient.

12. Aea
    September 24th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    I'm with those surprised these things will even be minted. Given the chance I prefer to pay for EVERYTHING with a card, must more convenient.

13. Alex
    September 24th, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    Thank you, Denise! I pride myself on being Captain Obvious.

    Actually, there have been studies on this exact effect. See this Post Gazette article, for instance.

14. DOJ
    September 24th, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    It's a waste of time & money. Other currency values needed revamping for security reasons. But it's not like anyone was counterfeiting pennies.

15. SenorMysterioso
    September 24th, 2008 at 3:41 pm

    counterfeiting pennies... thats a great idea DOJ

    ::off to get rich one cent at a time

16. Evil Pundit
    September 24th, 2008 at 7:46 pm

    They can't eliminate the penny ... how will I pay people for their thoughts?

17. Ty
    September 24th, 2008 at 8:26 pm

    when i first saw the images, i almost thought it would be a silver metal this time.

    we could just do like the aussies and round everything to the nearest five cents.

18. Andrew91
    September 24th, 2008 at 8:39 pm

    Hm, they no longer say "In God we trust" on them.

    That's sad.

19. Lemons
    September 24th, 2008 at 9:41 pm

    Andrew91- For heavens' sake. Neither do the LINCOLN MEMORIAL sides of our current pennies! The new designs will retain the reverse side with Lincoln's profile, "Liberty", the date and place minted, and your pet phrase along with them.

20. donna
    September 25th, 2008 at 12:56 am

    They look dumb.

21. oOPonyOo
    September 25th, 2008 at 1:59 am

    I am glad they decided to include his Log cabin "of sin".

22. Sasha
    September 25th, 2008 at 10:03 am

    "If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union"

    "My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia,—to their own native land."

    "I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And in as much as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race."

    (all quotes from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln_on_slavery)

    Lincolns primary concern was smashing independent state power and affirming the supremacy of the Federal state. Indeed, he was no true friend of black people, and only freed the slaves to keep the European powers from coming to the aid of the Confederacy, and for other purely political reasons.

    Before 1860, it was assumed that the union was voluntary - all states were there as independent entities acting of their own volition. There is a reason that "united States of America" had that capitalization in the declaration of independence. Lincoln forever smashed this and put the southern states under the yoke of industrialists in Washington D.C. The true cause of the war was not about slavery, but about money, as all wars usually are. Specifically, it was started after the ports in South Carolina started accepted shipping with radically lower tariffs, trying to lure the merchant trade from NYC and Boston. The slavery was the moral issue used to cover up the true financial motives - in a way similar to the "culture wars" of today.

    Without Abraham Lincoln there would be no George W. Bush. Idolize him at your own peril.

23. Denise Smith
    September 25th, 2008 at 1:01 pm

    @ Alex. . . no problem Captain Obvious. . .no need to look up articles on "studies to that exact effect." Figured that one out on my own!!

24. Josh
    September 26th, 2008 at 5:10 pm

    Get rid of pennies already. Getting rid of them would only affect cash transactions which is becoming far less common today.

    @ Algonkin
    Nothing is $1.99. It is $1.99 + tax. So for me that $1.99 is really $2.13. Without pennies it would be $2.15 which I could really care less. I wouldnt be using cash anyways so it would really be $2.13 for me.

25. tailchaser
    November 28th, 2008 at 4:57 pm

    Just think of all the coins that are going to be collected. y ou have the state quarters gold presidentual dollar coins new penny designs.None go into circulation so the government makes big bucks.

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