# New US Penny Reverse.... it's Beautiful! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2010, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598 "2010-02-19T05:40:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/81 "2010-02-22T04:05:11Z")
> [@Scarlett67](#): > > I don’t mind pennies, but when are we going to get a workable dollar coin?? > > (Yeah, I know, never, because people loves them their greenbacks.) They have a circulating dollar coin in Canada (known as the “looney,” because it has a loon on the back). Also a two-dollar coin (the “twoney”). Why not here? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/82 "2010-02-22T05:26:08Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > They have a circulating dollar coin in Canada (known as the “looney,” because it has a loon on the back). Also a two-dollar coin (the “twoney”). Why not here? Simple answer: The Rag cloth lobby. They will not let congress put two in the hat of the Dollar bill and replace it with a coin that would not wear out for many decades. Besides, I have too much fun handing two dollar bills to toll takers and Best Buy cashiers.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/83 "2010-02-22T15:50:00Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Enjoy it while you can. I doubt new pennies will be minted in a few years. The copper in them has been worth more than a penny for some time, and getting more costly. 😕 Are you sure you’re not thinking of pre-1982 pennies? That was when the composition of the penny was changed to be 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, making it both lighter and less expensive to mint. [Wiki sez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(United_States_coin)#Metal_content) that as of June 2009, the metallurgical value of a penny was less than 50% of its face value. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/84 "2010-02-22T16:15:00Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Simple answer: The Rag cloth lobby. > They will not let congress put two in the hat of the Dollar bill and replace it with a coin that would not wear out for many decades. Any truth to this? How could the cloth lobby and the zinc lobby be so strong? Doesn’t the lobby of whatever metal goes into dollar coins have power, too? ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/85 "2010-02-22T16:17:04Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > How long until they phase out the penny completely? It is becoming an almost unnecessary piece of coinage. Not to mention getting more and more difficult to manufacture for less than than its face value. I agree. Let’s start phasing that out. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/86 "2010-02-22T16:33:47Z")
> [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Simple answer: The Rag cloth lobby. With Senator Kennedy out of the picture, this may change. No pun intended. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/87 "2010-02-23T13:01:01Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Any truth to this? How could the cloth lobby and the zinc lobby be so strong? Doesn’t the lobby of whatever metal goes into dollar coins have power, too? They make the “paper” of the bills. Only it’s not paper. Related question: How many drugs was the mint on when they decided to put the dates on the rim? Yuck! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2010, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/88 "2010-02-23T17:16:17Z")
I like it, but I wouldn’t mind the eventual abolition of the penny. More trouble than it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/89 "2010-02-24T04:17:01Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Always wondered what they did with [Captain America’s original shield . . .](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_America%27s_shield#Original_shield) > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > That was what i thought too! > [@Visual\_Purple](#): > > It gives it a slapped together look to me, like something in a local newspaper advertisement. > [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > How big a geek am I that my first thought upon seeing that was “Hey, look! It’s Captain America’s original shield!” It does look like it belongs in a comic book. Maybe that’s partially because the shield appears to be curved as though it were cut out from a hollow sphere. A true shield would probably be curved, of course. I don’t think a heraldic shield is. The mint site says it’s used in the Capitol frescoes, but I couldn’t find a picture of one to see if it’s curved or not. I don’t care for it. But it won’t keep me up nights or prevent me from using the coin. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > “Clean and modern.”?! It looks very like something from a 1940’s propaganda comic book! Propaganda? Huh? 😕 > [@bink](#): > > What is wrong with this country that our coins don’t have numbers on them? > I feel so bad for foreign visitors who don’t know the language and just want to know which of these things is worth 5 and which is worth 10. The coins are made for the convenience of residents, not foreigners. How does coins not having numbers on them = something “wrong with this country”? That’s quite an extreme reaction. When I’ve visited other countries (England pre-decimalization, Italy, Canada), I always made sure I knew the values of coins. You’re not implying foreigners are less able to cope with our money than I am with theirs, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/90 "2010-02-24T13:17:21Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > I was once on a flight to Europe (Icelandic Air) and wanted to pay for my beer - they were cheap back then, only $1.00. I happened to have ten dimes on me and paid. > A few minutes later, the flight attendant came back with the dimes and said, “I’m sorry, we can’t take these.” > “Why?” > “Well, it doesn’t say how much they are worth on the coin and we don’t know American currency that well.” > Sure enough - I had never noticed, but the dime is the ONE American coin that does NOT say how many cents it is worth! Just “one dime” - and unless you happen to know that a dime = 10 cents, well… It does have the currency amount. 10 Mils = 1 Cent 10 Cents = 1 Dime 10 Dimes = 1 Dollar. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/91 "2010-02-24T16:40:19Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > They have a circulating dollar coin in Canada … Why not here? > [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > Simple answer: The Rag cloth lobby. > [@Bearflag70](#): > > Any truth to this? How could the cloth lobby and the zinc lobby be so strong? Doesn’t the lobby of whatever metal goes into dollar coins have power, too? > [@The\_Vorlon](#): > > They make the “paper” of the bills. Only it’s not paper. Right, but why would they that lobby wield power, especially when you presumably have a metal lobby pushing for more coins and fewer notes? ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/92 "2010-02-24T17:52:40Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > It does have the currency amount. > > 10 Mils = 1 Cent > 10 Cents = 1 Dime > 10 Dimes = 1 Dollar. You must have really good eyes, or a different dime - mine says “one dime” and unless you happen to know what a “dime” is, you are out of luck. These non-Americans did not know what “dime” meant, whereas they would have understood “10 cents” if that had been minted on the coin. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/93 "2010-02-24T18:33:25Z")
> [@Gary\_Baldy](#): > > Last year’s designs were not a search to find a new design, but to commemorate the 200th birthday of Lincoln. I don’t think I’ve seen any of those yet. > [@kidneyfailure](#): > > It’s not as good as the old one with the Lincoln Memorial design that we all grew up with, but it’s a helluva lot better than that “ONE CENT” with the wheat penny that was around in earlier times. I saw this thread and was wondering if I would see three penny designs in circulation at the same time. Just last night I got a pizza and when I got home and checked my change, there was a wheat cent. But I haven’t seen a shield penny, so the circulation does not officially overlap, at least for me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/94 "2010-02-24T19:17:37Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Right, but why would they that lobby wield power, especially when you presumably have a metal lobby pushing for more coins and fewer notes? Simple answer: They have pictures. LOTS of 'em. ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/95 "2010-02-24T19:47:24Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > They have a circulating dollar coin in Canada (known as the “looney,” because it has a loon on the back). Also a two-dollar coin (the “twoney”). Why not here? Where I’m from, everybody spells it “loonie” and “toonie”. Yes, “twonie” would make more sense, but then it wouldn’t look like “loonie”, and why does “two” need a ‘w’ in it, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/96 "2010-02-25T02:59:14Z")
> [@Cliffy](#): > > Looks a little cartoony, but maybe that’s just the style of the illustration. I think the Lincoln Memorial engraving is lovely – esp. since I discovered that you can in fact see a tiny sliver of Lincoln’s head between the columns. For real? My kid was telling me that the other day, and I kept insisting that the little mark there was just some dirt. :smack: I’m going to have to tell him that he was right. And I mistook Abraham Lincoln’s head for some dirt. I feel like a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/97 "2010-02-25T05:48:38Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Or just stop printing money for a while to allow the currency to deflate. Of course, this will never happen as long as the government is in debt; inflation is generally beneficial to borrowers. The money supply is not the supply of minted coinage & printed notes. It also includes credit held in banks. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/98 "2010-02-25T05:55:15Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Propaganda? Huh? 😕 Yes, like something from the political superheroes of the 1940’s. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/99 "2010-02-25T06:09:25Z")
I’m genuinely surprised they’re redesigning something as worthless as a one cent piece. Surely they could discontinue it and put the money involved in designing and minting the coins to better use elsewhere? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598/100 "2010-02-28T22:56:08Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > You know since they changed pennies to mostly zinc, you can melt them on a stovetop. Try it some time. I don’t know about that, but they’re certainly easy to cut in half with a decent pair of scissors. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-us-penny-reverse-its-beautiful/529598.md?page=4)