# Why not phase out Nickels & Pennies?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 22, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684 "2025-05-22T22:08:10Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 4
### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/61 "2025-05-26T03:37:58Z")
> [@suranyi](#):
>
> Right now, if I need to, I can go to a post office and buy one stamp with cash. If the penny is eliminated, that will be impossible.
You are really gonna stand in line to buy ONE SINGLE stamp?
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Or, more likely, this being the post office, you’d buy a 73 cent stamp, give them 3 quarters, and they’d give you 2 one-cent stamps in change. Or a single two-center.
>
> The notion that that obscure bit of the US Code would somehow monkeywrench the no-more-pennies juggernaut is fanciful.
More likely you’d buy a book of stamps, of course.
Incidentally there used to be stamps in Mils (1/10th of a cent)- no change given. (For local taxes IIRC). Gas prices used to end in tenths of a cent- did you get change for a penny?
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/62 "2025-05-26T05:35:33Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#):
>
> Notice the US sub-dollar pieces are face-valued fractionally: half-dollar, quarter-dollar, dime (one tenth), cent (one hundredth),
> — only the nickel is face-valued as “five cents”.
Some of the current series of quarters commemorating American women have “25 cents” or even “25¢” to allow more room for the chosen design.
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### Author:  [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/63 "2025-05-26T06:56:59Z")
> [@ewomack](#):
>
> The basis of commerce should officially change to .05 cents
You mean 1 2000th of a dollar?
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/64 "2025-05-26T13:32:56Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> You are really gonna stand in line to buy ONE SINGLE stamp?
>
> More likely you’d buy a book of stamps, of course.
I could count the number of things I mail in a year…& still have more than enough fingers left over to snap. A book of stamps would last me at least THREE lifetimes. I just go to the post office & buy a stamp every April 15th to mail my _local_ taxes.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/65 "2025-05-26T13:49:39Z")
Of course if the production of pennies stops, there will still be _billions_ of pennies in circulation indefinitely. The USPS can maintain supplies of them for those millions of customers buying single stamps. By the time all of the existing pennies drop out of circulation, I expect that the face value of the first-class stamp could be an even multiple of five.
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### Author:  [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/66 "2025-05-26T14:09:13Z")
He had a previous video on pennies, here is the more recent nickel video:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58SrtQNt4YE)
Brian
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/67 "2025-05-26T15:29:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> Of course if the production of pennies stops, there will still be _billions_ of pennies in circulation indefinitely.
Will there? I’d expect that the cessation of minting will give retailers a permission structure to just stop ordering pennies or giving them back as change if they’re received (the rounding is going to be universal, not something they only do after they scour the drawer for spare pennies). Once that happens, I think they’re going to vanish very fast, because we only get pennies from change.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/68 "2025-05-26T15:43:53Z")
Especially since there are only three people who insist on buying a single stamp at a time but won’t use a card and won’t accept inexact change.
But the proce of stamps will go up at some point anyway, so this is a problem of very limited scope. Raise the price to 75 cents each, with bulk discounts, 5 for $3.65 and ten for $7.30.
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### Author:  [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/69 "2025-05-26T16:35:52Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#):
>
> Especially since there are only three people who insist on buying a single stamp at a time but won’t use a card and won’t accept inexact change.
And two of the three are over 75 and want to write a cheque for the purchase. My mother-in-law was telling me yesterday about how she gets her bills and mails a post-dated cheque in as soon as she pays it. I have tried to get her to sign up for pre-authorized payments, but she likes it the old way.
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### Author:  [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/70 "2025-05-26T19:22:29Z")
I thought, by law, they couldn’t offer discounts. Ain’t no way that’s getting thru Congress, or maybe it will, taking up lots of time they could spend on an actual worthwhile law.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/71 "2025-05-26T19:28:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> used to
“Used to”?
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/72 "2025-05-26T19:49:25Z")
> [@SCAdian](#):
>
> “Used to”?
Are there still stamps issued in tenths of a cent?
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/73 "2025-05-26T19:53:25Z")
He was referring to
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Gas prices used to end in tenths of a cent
They all still are, as best I can tell.
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### Author:  [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/74 "2025-05-26T19:57:46Z")
Yep. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a gas station that didn’t have that extra ‘9’ tacked onto the endof the price.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/75 "2025-05-26T20:02:01Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> They all still are, as best I can tell.
Ever since gas price went to several dollars, I havent noticed that on the big signs anymore. If they still calculate the prices that way, Okay, I can buy it.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/76 "2025-05-26T20:06:18Z")
Still looks like this around here:
[ ](https://imgur.com/nBWBEVk)
They even put the 9/10 on the stupid little diesel sign.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/77 "2025-05-26T20:12:30Z")
That was probably true when the rule of law was a thing (see: eliminating the penny by presidential fiat).
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/78 "2025-05-26T20:15:55Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#):
>
> Still looks like this around here:
Okay, sure, but that is not my point. Would you demand change for a penny in mils when buying gas? You buy exactly one gallon of premium, give them $8, do you expect 11 cents and 1 mil in change? or are you happy with a dime?
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### Author:  [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/79 "2025-05-26T20:19:55Z")
I don’t disagree with that, and agree that it proves the point. People have been happy for decades with not getting _truly_ exact change. Why should the penny be the threshold where they get worked up about it? Especially since the penny is worth so much less than it used to.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [May 26, 2025, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-phase-out-nickels-pennies/1018684/80 "2025-05-26T20:23:00Z")
People already leave their pennies, often in one of those take a penny/leave a penny trays.
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