The only use of the penny is for scratch off cards, which means that the penny's main use is actually to help you lose money.

Fun fact! In 2020, after another 9 years of inflation, the penny is 15% less valuable than when this video was made!

Fun fact! In 2022, after another 11 years of inflation, the penny is 23% less valuable than when this video was made!

Fun fact: you can also use pennies as a souvenir by putting them in one of those penny stampeders.

melt the pennies into a giant copper statue of lincoln. That way everyone's happy. Well, almost everyone.

Seven years later and we still have the penny

Some cool info! Ten years on, the penny now costs 2.1 cents to manufacture. On top of that too, the nickel costs 8.5 cents to make.

The fact that there's someone out there that would advocate for the maintenance of the penny because it would be unpatriotic to stop producing a coin because a certain dude would stop being printed on said coin is absolutely bonkers to me. The US sure is a weird country

Unironically seeing a trollface is like discovering an ancient artifact

As a kid I used to hate the fact that people were trying to rid themselves of pennies... and then I grew up and realized things cost more than a dollar

What would be kind of funny is that ironically abolishing the Penny would make it valuable. Older pennies like the Indian Head and Wheat pennies would rise more in value and the pennies after the wheat penny would start to gain in value. Similarly the Half Cent is actually not worth half a cent they can be from worthless , to thousands of dollars. The Penny would become more powerful if Discontinued than if it were to continue.

Fun fact: the United States has already phased out two other coins with presidents on them: the $1 coin (with Ike before they went to the Susan B. Anthony variation in 1979 and the Modern variation in 1999) and the $0.50 coin (they are still made with JFK, but you rarely see them in circulation). Getting rid of the penny wouldn't really be a bad thing since only collectors really care about them, and even then they care more about the older ones (pre 1982). So really there is no reason to keep the penny.

So you're saying that instead of fixing our broken system, we made a sensible action illegal so we could keep using our old system? Yeah, that sounds like us.

Here in Canada, we got rid of pennies a while ago. Nothing's really changed. The only difference is that now dimes are the coins so small nobody bothers to pick them up.

The only time I ever really cared about pennies was to save time because of how little they were worth. When I got out of high school I bounced around a couple fast food jobs until I was a manager at one of my jobs then I stuck around for a bit. I really got a handle of the customer service parts of the job early on into my working life. Most of those jobs I had I dealt with lobby and drive thru customers. Despite making low wages, I still kept pennies in my pocket for customers. Once in a while you bump into a customer whose total is 1 or 2 cents over an even dollar amount who just rounds up to the next dollar (for example their total; is 4.02 and they give you a 5 dollar bill). Pennies are useless enough where I can offer them out in that situation and save time for both me and the customer at practically no cost to me. Plus lots of people appreciate when you can hand them back a dollar bills instead of 3 quarters, 2 dimes, and 3 or 4 pennies.

as a person named Abe who still isn't convinced that the penny needs to die, that last line struck a VERY personal note

Grey:Whats your little daugher’s name? Dad:Penny Grey: *robot scream*

Huh, I didn't even know the US doesn't include sales tax in store prices. That's... completely insane. If I see a price tag, I want to be informed of _how much it will cost me_.

…I have a classmate named Penny. We had a sub and we challenged him to guess all our names with his eyes closed. He did it pretty quickly, but then started struggling with her, everyone started screaming, “a coin with little value.” I can’t get it out of my head, help.

Also, sales tax applies to some items and not others in grocery stores, so $20 dollars in groceries might cost $20, or it might cost more! Also, some regions will have higher sales tax than other regions! It's a wonderfully awful mess that you can't possibly learn all of!

I'm a cashier in France. Believe him, the euro 1 cent coin really is ridiculously small. And I keep dropping em it's driving me nuts

Over 7 years later and nothing has... change-d. It makes no, cents.

rip the old icon to this video

My father notoriously hates pennies and he says the only good they'll do are archaeologists in a few thousand years. So in his backyard (my childhood home) he dug a hole and buried handfuls of pennies.

When I was in like 6th grade, we were shown this video in class.(obviously with the intent to teach us something) After school that day, I went home, watched this at least 2 more times for entertainment purposes, and proceeded to watch every CGP Grey video I could find. I will sub twice to make up for how I didn't all those years ago.

Theodd1souts teacher is one of the viewers

The only us coin currently in popular circulation that really makes sense anymore is the quarter. I'd be down to get rid of the penny, nickel, and dime and replace them with the half dollar and dollar coins

Wait a second, in the US you only know how much you're going to pay when you're already at the register?! Absolutely barbaric.

the ultimate insult: you are a penny. might seem a little weak, huh? well, here you go: • you're not worth much • nobody wants you • everyone has touched you • you're dirty • you're on the streets • you're two faced • you're in everyone's pants

The half Penny now has a comparative buying power of a quarter, a Nickle, and 3 pennies.

So the solution is to create a massive deflation, so penny gain power again.

Alright... I have an idea... Step 1: Ask the bank for money-rolls of pennies... Step 2: Melt them down (screw the law) Step 3: Sell the copper at a pawn shop for double what you spent. Step 4: Use copper profit to buy more pennies Step 5: Repeat until you're able to buy Bill Gates and Donald Trump.

CGP Grey: Here's why we should get rid of the penny James: WRITE THAT DOWN... WRITE THAT DOWN

This video came out 10 years ago and I'm just now getting it in my recommends. Wonderful! Great video btw.

In Norway, we have removed coins worth under roughly 10 US cent. And in my opinion, we can just as well remove the coin worth about 10 cent as well, and be left with the 50 cent coin as our smallest coin. I mean, who uses cash anyway?

I remember a long time ago, my high school chemistry teacher had us do an experiment that involved pennies, so he went to the bank to exchange a five dollar bill for five hundred pennies and he said it took him 10 minutes of explaining to the teller why he was doing this to get them.

Imagine in like 200 years more when videos called "Death to Dollars" will be coming out....

Aussie here, we only go down to 5cents and I have actually bought a mcdonlds meal as a kid with only 5c coins. It was fun and the cashier was very nice about it. It was only a small to medium ziplock bag of 5c coins.

After over 10 years they finally listened! It only took the penny costing over 2x its value for them to agree.

1:35 “try and pay 2000 pennies” Mr.beast: hold my car key

This video is 4 years old and the US still has pennies :'(

I enjoy collecting and rolling change. I have a container filled with $36 in pennys and I wouldnt mind adding to it

In my country. The smallest coin we have in circulation is 1.000rials. which equals to $0.003

"That was the half cent. Seen one lately? Of course not." Me, a coin collector: *"you underestimate me, mortal."*

You could say... Pennies don’t make cents I’ll see myself out

Amazing how a 10 years old video seems so new, from the imagem quality to the way he speaks

I found a use for pennies. Fill up an SFMTA parking meter with them so it cannot accept payment, and parking isn't charged after that.

I increase the value of my pennies by over 1,000% by drilling 1/4" holes in them and use as washers on projects. The shiny copper looks very nice too.😁

3:01 “Thanks for not calling me Holland” LMAO

When somebody asks me about those gums that have been in my car for years, ''Ye Olde Mint''

And finally, on April 1, 2023, the last penny will be minted

I was thinking “man why are all these dead meme pictures in here” Then I realized: This was from 7 almost 8 years ago. 2011 is 8 years ago. We’re almost a decade away from those dead memes that everyone remembers and hates.

1:45 wait wait wait HOLD ON! You Americansdon't include the sales taxes in the prices??? What kind of bullshit is that?!?

It's always Illinois. It was Lincoln's home state and they protest strongly every time there is talk of abolishing the penny.

Im happy pennies were around long enough for ryan traham to make a series about them.

Tip: put all your coins into a self-checkout at somewhere like Walmart or King Soopers, especially late at night when you're not holding up a line.

We keep pennies for Wishing wells. Wishing foutians. *A grave for our broken wishes.*

Ryan Trahan watching this video: *visible confusion*

Why did he change the cover screen

Use of the pennies: Scratch cards Wishing wells Wishing fountains And penny engraving machines

3:00 Translation: Thanks, you didn't call me Holland.

I feel like the penny now has a bestie from the Ryan Trahan series

Here in Canada we got rid of pennies around 5 years ago

Wait, purchases in America don't include gst? Why is everything in America uneccesarily hard and confusing?

The Odd Ones Out: time to plagiarize

I accidentaly threw away like 15 pennies and seeing this makes me feel better about

We need a follow-up video called "Death to cash"

This was the first CGP Grey video I ever watched. Five years later, and still nothing has happened.

Penny didn't deserve this. She was at the wrong place at the wrong time. #RIP Pyrrah is a monster

New thumbmail... Neat

this dude has to be a time traveler

CGP Grey: Why Americans should get rid of the Penny. Me, a Canadian: I'm 4 parallel universes ahead of you.

This video makes so much cents. I'm good at bad puns.

thumbnails are changing!

They updated the image!

in my experience working at a gas station, pennies are generally used to get rid of other change. say something is 19.57: you give the cashier 20.02, so you get 45¢ back and not 43¢ so that your change is less coins. people don’t like carrying coins.

Seriously, the Penny Died in 1982 - When the Mint Stopped making Them with Real Copper.

this is the video that will make me binge your channel XD

Fun fact! 12 years later, the penny has still not been discontinued.

Someone: * melts pennies * USA Government: I smell pennies!!

1:35-1:42 unless your MrBeast

After seeing the whole Ryan Trahan series, this hits hard

Assuming 2% annual inflation, if we use "less valuable than a half-penny in 1857" as the test for retirement, we should retire the quarter in 2045, and the dollar bill/coin in 2115.

You forgot to mention the Czech Republic that got rid of ALL of their lower denomination coins in 2008 for the exact reasons you listed. They used to have 10-haler, 20-haler, and 50-haler coins, comically tiny and weirdly lightweight coins made of aluminum. Now the lowest denomination is 1 crown (worth ~4 US cents).

"...and a mystery coin that we'll get back to later." Effective hook is effective

Loved the rage comics reference.

Ten years later: "We're still here" ~The Pennies

Some people in the south have a weird view of Lincoln, blaming him for the Civil War when he wasn't even in office when the first shots were fired (By the confederacy)

"Have you seen of the half-cent coin?" Yea my dad gave me one and i still have i- "Of course you hadn't " Okay guess I'll die

"I agree!" *looks at publication date* "Sigh...."

Bro predicted the future

what, the tax isn't included in the price in the USA?

Fun fact: James public speaking teacher from his community college watched this video

Obviously you've never met a self checkout. Great way to get rid of a handful of pennies

Thank you CGP for calling the Netherlands the Netherlands and not Holland, greatly appreciate it

Omg i think i’ve actually forgotten the fact that 2011 was 9 years ago

I'm seeing this in 2019. Pennies seem to be on permanent life support.

WHY IS GREY CHANGING ALL OF HIS THUMBNAILS

This seems like an extremely high quality video for a 2011 vid, especially the audio.

I know! We need a... giant... copper... John Wilkes Booth!