# Canada is phasing out pennies, is the US next? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486 "2013-02-06T14:32:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/1 "2013-02-06T14:32:11Z")
I think it’s long overdue. Pennies are rather useless these days. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/2 "2013-02-06T14:54:12Z")
I agree. When I was stationed overseas in the US Air Force, we didn’t use pennies on base as they were too much trouble. Everything was rounded to the nearest 5¢. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/3 "2013-02-06T14:57:26Z")
Given the USA’s record of adopting sane and sensible ideas that have worked in other countries, I predict that Yanks will have valueless copper coinage in circulation for as long as there’s a USA. ---
**Author:** ![Hermitian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hermitian/32/470_2.png) [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/4 "2013-02-06T15:35:34Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Given the USA’s record of adopting sane and sensible ideas that have worked in other countries, I predict that Yanks will have valueless copper coinage in circulation for as long as there’s a USA. If the zinc lobby has anything to do with it… ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/5 "2013-02-06T15:47:59Z")
> [@steviep24](#): > > Canada is phasing out pennies, is the US next? I’m pretty sure it’s not within Canadia’s power to phase out the US. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/6 "2013-02-06T15:48:55Z")
> [@steviep24](#): > > Canada is phasing out pennies, is the US next? Its going to take an awful lot of Canadians to bring back all their pennies from the US… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/7 "2013-02-06T15:49:37Z")
I thought Canada phased out penises a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/8 "2013-02-06T15:56:52Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Given the USA’s record of adopting sane and sensible ideas that have worked in other countries, I predict that Yanks will have valueless copper coinage in circulation for as long as there’s a USA. We already have valueless dollars. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/9 "2013-02-06T16:25:19Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > If the zinc lobby has anything to do with it… Yup. That’s one of the HUGE problems with the US. Simple, sane, easy-to-do, and best of all, _non-partisan_ ideas like this STILL have a hard-as-fuck time getting passed because there are lobbies for _everything._ But now I wonder if they lobby would be strong enough. I mean…it’s not like it’s the Gun Lobby, or Big Oil. I can’t see more than a few senators/representatives being from places that have large zinc operations, so at best, what, 25% of congress is against eliminating it? But on the other hand, a lot of Americans are dumb-asses, and you’d have people saying, “Don’t take my penny! Big, SOCIALIST, government just trying to put the working man down by making everything more expensive!” And no, they will NOT listen to you when you explain that only half of the prices will go to the next nickle, the other half goes down and it all evens out in the end. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/10 "2013-02-06T17:32:07Z")
No prices have to be rounded to the nearest nickel. Take a grocery store as an example. Leave all the prices the same, scan them into the register and simply round off the total. Personally, I want mill coins to be minted. That way I really could pay exactly $3.499 for a gallon of gas for my mower. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/11 "2013-02-06T17:35:50Z")
Bring back the halfpenny!!! ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/12 "2013-02-06T18:25:07Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > But on the other hand, a lot of Americans are dumb-asses, and you’d have people saying, > “Don’t take my penny! Big, SOCIALIST, government just trying to put the working man down by making everything more expensive!” > > And no, they will NOT listen to you when you explain that only half of the prices will go to the next nickle, the other half goes down and it all evens out in the end. That’s already started to happen up here. You can find, on some message boards, people saying they’ll keep making trips to the U.S. to get some pennies to spend here, etc. (U.S. coins are pretty much interchangeable with Canadian ones : same sizes, similar colours, similar weights, etc. So in a given roll of Canadian change you’ll find a few U.S. coins. Stores accept U.S. coins as if they were Canadian; only vending machines reject them.) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/13 "2013-02-06T18:39:10Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Given the USA’s record of adopting sane and sensible ideas that have worked in other countries, I predict that Yanks will have valueless copper coinage in circulation for as long as there’s a USA. Hey, it took the UK a long time to switch to decimal coinage, but they eventually made it. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/14 "2013-02-06T18:40:11Z")
There was an article in a recent Time about this issue. One thing I recall from it that surprised me (I can’t seem to find the full thing online) is that there’s a similar problem with the _nickel_, making the most practical solution getting rid of the penny _and_ the nickel, which is obviously twice as hard as just eliminating the penny alone. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/15 "2013-02-06T19:06:11Z")
But… how will old ladies pay for stuff? ---
**Author:** ![shiftless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@shiftless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shiftless)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/16 "2013-02-06T20:07:22Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > Given the USA’s record of adopting sane and sensible ideas that have worked in other countries, I predict that Yanks will have valueless copper coinage in circulation for as long as there’s a USA. Sadly I have to agree. The fact that Canada is doing it will be reason enough for some to oppose it. “Canadians want to erase Lincoln from history. What will they come for next, our yardsticks?” As a loyal American, I dread the day I have to pay a nickel for your thoughts. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/17 "2013-02-06T20:15:29Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > “Canadians want to erase Lincoln from history. What will they come for next, our yardsticks?” What, they’ve never seen a five dollar bill? ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/18 "2013-02-06T20:17:52Z")
My cynical nature tells me that our Federal government is incapable of achieving this - getting rid of the penny (and nickle). Even if they did it, they would likely have some nonsensical “compromise” like creating a 7.5 cent coin out of titanium to replace the nickle and penny. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/19 "2013-02-06T20:24:51Z")
Probably not for awhile. [We can say good-bye to Saturday mail delivery this summer, though.](http://news.search.yahoo.com/search?p=USPS+cuts+Saturday+service) And I’m OK with that-- I could easily get by with once-a-week mail delivery. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486/20 "2013-02-06T20:25:05Z")
About time. I’m for eliminating as many coins as possible. But they have to make it part of a deal that bans dollar coins forever. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-is-phasing-out-pennies-is-the-us-next/649486.md?page=2)