Top 10 Amazing Fun Facts About Pennies That Will Change How You See Loose Change
1. WWII Steel Pennies
During the penny-pinching days of World War II, Uncle Sam needed to up his copper game for a more pressing reason than giving Abe Lincoln a fresh shine: the U.S. penny was temporarily made out of zinc-coated steel instead of copper, due to copper shortages. But fear not, numismatists: the Mint still dished out a limited number of copper pennies that same year, turning them into rare, valuable collectors' items today.
Source => usmint.gov
2. Benjamin Franklin's Design
Cover your nose, because old pennies have more than a hint of Benjamin : Over its long history since 1793, there have been 11 different designs minted for the one-cent coin, with the very first design suggested by none other than Benjamin Franklin himself, featuring imagery such as Lady Liberty and President Abraham Lincoln that has come to represent the spirit and values of the nation.
Source => moderncoinmart.com
Did you know the first metal coins were made from electrum, a natural alloy of gold and silver? Discover how ancient Greeks and Lydians rocked the world of metallic alchemy and shaped the future of currency!
=> Fun Facts about Coins
3. Metallic Imposter Cents
In a not-so-shiny plot twist to your typical pocket change: In 1943, due to a copper shortage during World War II, the United States produced zinc-coated steel pennies instead of their typical copper brethren, producing over 900 million of these metallic imposter cents, although a meager 40 elusive copper pennies were still accidentally minted, with one selling for an impressive $82,500 in 1996.
Source => infoplease.com
4. Abe's Penny Abundance
If Abraham Lincoln had a penny for every penny made last year, he'd be double-stacked with his own currency: The U.S. Mint produced over 7 billion pennies in that time, with each one costing the government around 2 cents to manufacture. But don't go reaching for those pennies just yet, as an economist discovered that the average American worker earns a penny every two seconds, making the act of fumbling for change or picking up a penny barely worth your time. Despite this, discontinuing the penny faces strong opposition from special interests like zinc miners and "penny blank" suppliers, and the fear of a "rounding tax" – though that same economist found that rounding to the nearest nickel wouldn't significantly impact consumers.
Source => npr.org
5. Fingertip Workout Coins
Back before the era of penny-pinching, they were penny-chucking! These hefty coins were vital workout equipment for your fingertips, giving them a run for their money - quite literally: The U.S. large cent, first minted in 1793, was made of nearly pure copper with a 27-29mm diameter, bigger and heavier than modern quarters. Produced every year until 1857 (save for 1815's copper shortage), these behemoth coins were valued at a meager 1/100 of a dollar.
Source => goldeneaglecoin.com
6. Pennies: The First U.S. Currency
From the pennies we can't seem to get rid of in our couch cushions to copper-colored coins often found at the bottom of fountains as hopeful wishes, the humble penny has some surprising history: Over 300 billion one-cent coins, or "cents," have been minted in the United States since 1787, making it the nation's first authorized currency, thanks to George Washington and the Mint Act of 1792.
Source => moderncoinmart.com
7. Evolution of Abe's Penny
Before U.S. pennies were Lincoln Logs for your pocket change: The first penny minted in 1792 featured Miss Flowy Hair Liberty, but over the years, designs have changed and our trusty penny shrunk, becoming a tiny tribute to Honest Abe. In 1909, Lincoln's iconic portrait premiered on the one-cent coin, and he's been there ever since, while the reverse designs have seen new looks, sporting a Union Shield with 13 stripes to honor the original colonies.
Source => usmint.gov
8. Lincoln Penny's Centennial
Once upon an Abe in 2009, when penny-pinching was all the rage and Honest Abe was turning 200 in style: the US Mint celebrated the Lincoln penny's centennial with four new designs, each showcasing a pivotal moment in his life - from his Kentucky roots to his presidential strides in Washington, D.C., released in three-month intervals throughout the year.
Source => usmint.gov
9. The Frying Pan Connection
Ever tossed a frying pan and wondered if some ancient linguist caught a similar inspiration? Feast your curiosity: The word "penny" may have originated from the West Germanic word for "frying pan" due to the coin's shape, but the exact etymology remains a delicious mystery with several theories on the menu.
Source => nereg.lib.ms.us
10. Misattributing Penny-Wise Wisdom
You might say that dear ol' Ben Franklin had a knack for "making cents" of things, but when it comes to the "penny-wise" adage, he might have been thrifted from someone else's coin purse: The saying "a penny saved is a penny earned" wasn't actually coined by Benjamin Franklin, but rather adapted from his publication "Poor Richard's Almanack," with remarkably similar phrases found in earlier works by other authors. Nevertheless, the heavyweight of that copper coin's worth in frugal living and saving money shines through the ages, urging us to stash the cash and treasure our nest eggs for a rich(er) life!
Source => snopes.com
