Ah, that makes a lot of sense why they made the paper note. I often wonder why we still bother with the penny here. I rarely deal with change in general these days.
Ah, that makes a lot of sense why they made the paper note. I often wonder why we still bother with the penny here. I rarely deal with change in general these days.
The funny thing is the penny is worth less than the half-cent was when it was ended (which was shortly after the civil war, I think). I think the half-cent was worth more than even the nickel today, which we should also get rid of. I think the reason why so many people fight against removing the penny today is because of the bad decision to put presidents on the coins. If it were still an indian on the penny, I don't think people would care nearly as much, but removing Lincoln seems almost like an attack (forget that he's still on the $5; that doesn't count). It's silly and has become political, like everything else.
Edit: The half-cent would have been worth nearly 20 cents in today's money when it was discontinued. So by the logic they used at the time, we'd be getting rid of the dime today as well.
I'd be okay with that. Might make my silver dimes even more valuable! It's pretty sad how much inflation has run away with things. I have a feeling you would have plenty of people freaking out if you tried to take away coins. Anything below a quarter is pointless to me and that's actually kind of scary to think about.