The Lincoln Penny
Posted by Peter W. Schramm
David Margolick writes an op-ed on the Lincoln Penny in yesterday’s NY Times. I don’t have an opinion about the future of the penny, but the piece is useful background on its origin, reception, and value.
4:17 PM / February 12, 2007
: include(/srv/users/prod-php-nltashbrook/apps/prod-php-nltashbrook/public/sd/nlt-blog/_includes/promo-main.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in
: include(): Failed opening '/srv/users/prod-php-nltashbrook/apps/prod-php-nltashbrook/public/sd/nlt-blog/_includes/promo-main.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/opt/sp/php7.2/lib/php') in
I also don’t have an opinion--at least one that is anything beyond sentimental--but I will offer this: my son’s kindergarten class had a "Weekly Reader" lesson in which they discussed the origins of the penny, the coming of the new Washington $1 coin and so on. There was some discussion about the controversy surrounding the penny that mentioned the coin cost more to produce than it is worth. All the students, save one, were for the continued production of the penny. The one who was opposed to it (not my kid, by the way) offered as his reason that it did not make sense to make a coin that is only worth 1 cent but costs more than that to produce. As he said that, he was struck with an idea . . . I gently explained that that idea might land him in jail for many reasons--only the first of which had anything to do with playing with matches.
How interesting. I won’t be able to ignore the Lincoln penny so easily again.