Back to Home11/16/2025, 7:20:27 PM

The government has no plan for America’s 300 billion pennies

JumpCrisscross
58 points
139 comments

Mood

skeptical

Sentiment

mixed

Category

other

Key topics

currency

economics

government policy

Debate intensity70/100

The article discusses the large number of pennies in circulation and the lack of a government plan to manage them, sparking a discussion on the relevance and future of physical currency.

Snapshot generated from the HN discussion

Discussion Activity

Active discussion

First comment

8h

Peak period

14

Day 1

Avg / period

8

Comment distribution16 data points

Based on 16 loaded comments

Key moments

  1. 01Story posted

    11/16/2025, 7:20:27 PM

    3d ago

    Step 01
  2. 02First comment

    11/17/2025, 2:55:33 AM

    8h after posting

    Step 02
  3. 03Peak activity

    14 comments in Day 1

    Hottest window of the conversation

    Step 03
  4. 04Latest activity

    11/17/2025, 9:39:22 PM

    1d ago

    Step 04

Generating AI Summary...

Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns

Discussion (139 comments)
Showing 16 comments of 139
aussieguy1234
2d ago
2 replies
If the cooper is worth more than the coin, would melting them down be profitable?

In Australia we got rid of our 1c and 2c coins more than 20 years ago.

DaSHacka
2d ago
1 reply
It already was, a long time ago with the copper pennies. Not sure with the modern Zinc ones, however.
hilbert42
2d ago
The Imperial Oz penny and halfpenny (currency before 14 February 1966) was always solid copper.
hilbert42
2d ago
"In Australia we got rid of our 1c and 2c coins more than 20 years ago."

Their disappearance was a damn nuisance for some. We used to drill a small hole in the centre of them and solder them onto semiconductor diode leads as heatsinks. At 1 and 2 cents each they were much cheaper than their commercial counterparts. Unlike their US counterpart both Oz coins were solid copper.

wtcactus
2d ago
1 reply
Trump obsession really got major news outlets trying to outcompete themselves on who could create the most apocalyptic text about... pennies.

I've already seen a lighter version of this level of madness when G. W. Bush was re-elected, but at the time I was quite young and more permeable to the concerted propaganda. This time around is just funny, to say the truth.

I miss the time when media could at least try to keep up with the appearance of some neutrality.

amanaplanacanal
2d ago
Honestly, GWBush was a pretty bad president. Started the war in Iraq on a pretext, wasted over a trillion US dollars on it and led to something like half a million dead Iraqis.
TitaRusell
2d ago
1 reply
Interesting how cash money still elicits such emotions.

When the European Central Bank announced a new design for the euro bills nobody in my country really cared anymore because most payments are electronic. The danger to that ofcourse is that you risk overspending but retailers approve.

naIak
2d ago
3 replies
The actual danger is that you’re creating a system where the government will have the power to tell you what you can spend your money on.
pizzafeelsright
2d ago
1 reply
The government already has the power to tell you where (local vs bank transfer) and what (taxes, fines) you must spend your money on.

Favors, trust, and reputation cannot be taxed.

naIak
2d ago
“Things are bad, so let’s do nothing as they get worse” is not convincing.
DaSHacka
2d ago
Exactly this, and track every last cent you've spent, and where.
zitsarethecure
2d ago
It's already a system where unaccountable private monopolistic moralizing multinational middle men have the power to tell you what you can spend your money on.
mannyv
1d ago
Why do we need a plan for pennies?

Reporters et al always want 'a plan,' which is ironic because they have problems planning more than a week in advance.

ChrisArchitect
2d ago
Related:

The last-ever penny will be minted today in Philadelphia

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45901904

cornonthecobra
2d ago
[delayed]
black6
2d ago
Why does the government need a plan for pennies? They stopped wasting money minting them, now the "problem" will sort itself out naturally.

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ID: 45947633Type: storyLast synced: 11/19/2025, 7:17:58 PM

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