In a recent announcement on Super Bowl Sunday, President Trump declared that the federal government would cease production of pennies. This decision has sparked a long-overdue conversation about the value and cost of producing both pennies and nickels.

Back in 2006, a former Marine student named Stephanie King approached a professor with a bold thesis topic – the elimination of the penny. Despite initial skepticism, Stephanie made a compelling case for getting rid of the penny, citing the rising cost of production. Her thesis, titled “Common Cents? The Role of Pennies in the U.S. Economy,” delved into the financial burden of maintaining pennies in circulation and proposed a rounding approach for transactions ending in cents.

One key point from Stephanie’s thesis was the diminishing profitability of producing pennies. The cost of materials like copper and zinc had increased to the point where the penny was no longer worth its face value. This meant that the government was not only failing to make a profit from producing pennies but actually subsidizing their production, despite their low circulation in the economy.

Following in the footsteps of the decision to stop producing pennies, it is now time to consider phasing out the nickel as well. As economist Timothy Taylor recently highlighted, the cost of producing nickels has also become unsustainable. With the rising cost of materials and the decreasing utility of these coins, it makes sense to eliminate them from circulation.

In conclusion, the decision to stop producing pennies is a step in the right direction towards streamlining our currency system. By reevaluating the value and cost of producing coins like the penny and the nickel, we can ensure a more efficient and cost-effective monetary system for the future. Let’s embrace this change and move towards a currency system that reflects the needs and realities of the modern economy.