Cancel culture has gone too far. A reasonable response to the Lincoln Cent ending.
They targeted coin collectors.
Coin collectors.
We’re a group of people who will spend hours, days, even years studying the smallest variations in metal discs. We memorize mint marks, track down obscure varieties, and examine microscopic details—all for nothing more than the satisfaction of knowing we did.
We’ll sift through thousands of nearly identical coins, scrutinizing each one under magnification, just for the chance at finding a rare die crack or an off-center strike. We’ll spend entire weekends hunting through rolls, attending auctions, and debating over the correct shade of patina.
Many of us have built entire collections, careers, even livelihoods on this relentless pursuit: digging through hoards, searching estate sales, deciphering historical records, all to uncover just one more piece of numismatic history. Some have attained such mastery that they can detect a counterfeit just by the weight in their hand or the ring of the metal.
Do these people have any idea how many hours have been spent debating coin grades? How many fingers have been stained by years of flipping through dusty albums? How many relationships have been tested by just one more coin purchase? And they think they can just erase that history?
They thought they could cancel the Lincoln cent? That they could just declare the end of the most collected coin in American history? That we would just accept it? We’ve already started hoarding. We’ve already started preserving. We’ll melt our own copper if we have to.
They take our pennies? We make them valuable. They shut down production? Coin collectors aren’t shy about moving to underground markets or creating new collector economies. They think calling us obsessive hoarders will deter us? We’ve been called worse by spouses who don’t understand why we need just one more album.
They picked a fight with a group that thrives on scarcity, on history, on legacy. Who enjoy the thrill of the chase, who take it as a challenge when told something is no longer available. Our obsession with proving the system wrong has been forged over centuries of economic changes, government decisions, and minting blunders. Collecting coins isn't a hobby—it’s instinct.
You're just another mint error to be collected.
Comments
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100+ years of Lincoln Cents. Time to move on
I've been told I tolerate fools poorly...that may explain things if I have a problem with you. Current ebay items - Nothing at the moment
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Feeling sad about the cent going away likely stems from a sense of nostalgia and the idea of losing a small piece of familiar history, even if the cent has minimal monetary value; it can represent a connection to the past and a reminder of simpler times, making its potential removal feel like a small loss of tradition.
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The government is not planning to "take your pennies".
They are just not making new ones.
They might demonetize them at some point.There will still be many "unsearched" rolls to look through.
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You can still collect old Lincoln cents.
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Oh my god. Who cares? I would be happy to never touch pocket change again.
I don't think the people who care about things like die cracks on modern Lincoln cents are the backbone of the numismatic community.
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@You said:
Oh my god. Who cares? I would be happy to never touch pocket change again.I don't think the people who care about things like die cracks on modern Lincoln cents are the backbone of the numismatic community.
No. People who like parking lot coins are. .
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
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Do you know what "cancel culture" is? Nobody got canceled here. Smh...
All comments reflect the opinion of the author, even when irrefutably accurate.
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Cancel culture has gone too far.
Its' time to bring back the half cent and the penny.
The penny over? Nothing is over until we decide it is.
Was it over when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor? He!! no! And it aint' over now!
I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebodys part.
And were just the ones to do it.
Were bringing back the half cent and the penny as the only legal denominations.
All other denominations and paper money will be banned, and no electronic transactions allowed. Every thing must be paid for with physical pennies and half cents.
They weight of money alone will cure obesity in America.
We'll show President Franklin Pierce what a mistake it was to let half pennies disappear.
Who's with me?! Lets Go!
-- -- signed AlbumNerd, maybe
"To Be Esteemed Be Useful" - 1792 Birch Cent --- "I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain." - Lily Tomlin
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I don’t see the “cancel culture” or the “reasonable response” that were included in the thread title.
It seems to me that there will still be more than enough Lincoln cents for collectors to enjoy.Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
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@WinLoseWin said:
Cancel culture has gone too far.Its' time to bring back the half cent and the penny.
The penny over? Nothing is over until we decide it is.
Was it over when the German's bombed Pearl Harbor? He!! no! And it aint' over now!
I think this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebodys part.
And were just the ones to do it.
Were bringing back the half cent and the penny as the only legal denominations.
All other denominations and paper money will be banned, and no electronic transactions allowed. Every thing must be paid for with physical pennies and half cents.
They weight of money alone will cure obesity in America.
We'll show President Franklin Pierce what a mistake it was to let half pennies disappear.
Who's with me?! Lets Go!
-- -- signed AlbumNerd, maybe
plus 1 for Animal House reference !!!
Top 15 Type Set 1792 to presentTop 10 Cal Fractional Type Set
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Hilarious! Bravo.
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TLDR
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Cancel culture? You should see what the post office does to the stamps on the mail I receive.
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@Shurke said:
Cancel culture? You should see what the post office does to the stamps on the mail I receive.You still get Mail with STAMPS on them?🤪
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Absurd rant.
Seated Half Society member #38
"She comes out of the sun in a silk dress,
running like a water color in the rain...."3 -
It's only coin collecting lol
If this hobby would entirely be eliminated tomorrow we would all survive. If you would not survive, there are bigger problems in your life to figure out (talking about the collecting side, not dealing side).
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" Matthew 6:33. Young fellow suffering from Bust Half fever.
BHNC #AN-10
JRCS #16060 -
I hope that there is a 2025-S cent in the 2025-S silver Proof set. It looks like there will be one in the base metal set.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?2 -
If it cost 3 cents to make it, why not change the denomination to 3 cents?
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I wonder if we had such consternation when we eliminated the half cent, the three cent, and 20 cent pieces. I'm not old enough to remember.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
My digital cameo album 1950-64 Cameos - take a look!1 -
There's like 250 billion of them in circulation. Guessing there's probably going to be plenty to search thru for a few years.
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Since I was born in 1943, I am steeling myself for what's to come.
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“reasonable response”? OK.
----- kj0 -
@Cameonut said:
I wonder if we had such consternation when we eliminated the half cent, the three cent, and 20 cent pieces. I'm not old enough to remember.I doubt there was much public concern over the 3c and 20c, but perhaps some concern about the 1/2c. Depends on whether common things were priced in 1/2c increments I suppose. Similar response perhaps to the rounding solution if the 1c is eliminated. I wonder how long the 1/2c circulated after 1857 and how long it took to stop using 1/2c pricing, if indeed that was prevalent in 1857. The Act only directed that the mint stop producing them.
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@Overdate said:
Since I was born in 1943, I am steeling myself for what's to come.Groan. Lol.
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Dig your passion, OP! I could give two craps about the merit of your discussion.
Or pennies for that matter.
Or nickels, by the way.
I dig Bullion.Now riding the swell in PM's and surf.0 -
Bravo @WinLoseWin! John Belushi would be proud!
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I still think the cent will go the way of the half dollar. No more circulating examples, but available in Proof/Mint sets, as those coins are very profitable for the mint.
RIP Mom- 1932-20121 -
I always hear about the elimination of the half cent but I've never really heard why they stopped minting it.
The reference in a post above to its final mintage in 1857 caused a small epiphany: the cent was being shrunk down considerably in size, and a copper coin half it's size would been impractical.
I'm not sure if that was the specific reason for it's elimination, but it would make sense to me.
(I know, there was the three cent silver and the gold dollar, but silver and gold were different).
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@Cameonut said:
I wonder if we had such consternation when we eliminated the half cent, the three cent, and 20 cent pieces. I'm not old enough to remember.There wasn't, but those coins did not have the collector base which the cent has.
Sorry, I don't have the last the Three Cent Pieces.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?4 -
The OP's rant was repeated here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/coins/comments/1isyret/cancel_culture_has_gone_too_far_a_reasonable/2 -
@oldabeintx said:
@Cameonut said:
I wonder if we had such consternation when we eliminated the half cent, the three cent, and 20 cent pieces. I'm not old enough to remember.I doubt there was much public concern over the 3c and 20c, but perhaps some concern about the 1/2c. Depends on whether common things were priced in 1/2c increments I suppose. Similar response perhaps to the rounding solution if the 1c is eliminated. I wonder how long the 1/2c circulated after 1857 and how long it took to stop using 1/2c pricing, if indeed that was prevalent in 1857. The Act only directed that the mint stop producing them.
We need a 1/10th cent coin - it's the only way we can buy exactly one gallon of gas without being ripped off!
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"They targeted coin collectors.
Coin collectors."
Could it be that they "targeted" a waste of money?
Vplite991 -
Perhaps it's time to just shut down the mint and cease production of all coinage immediately? For that matter we should also cease operations at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and stop production of all bills at once. It's time for the microchip folks. THKS!
The whole worlds off its rocker, buy Gold™.
BOOMIN!™
Wooooha! Did someone just say it's officially "TACO™" Tuesday????
Retiring at 55, what day is today?
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@alaura22 said:
Don't stop there, eliminate all coinsHonestly bullion is the future anyway. Just try to make a bullion culture like what exists in countries like Turkey and we will be alright.
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@Overdate said:
@oldabeintx said:
@Cameonut said:
I wonder if we had such consternation when we eliminated the half cent, the three cent, and 20 cent pieces. I'm not old enough to remember.I doubt there was much public concern over the 3c and 20c, but perhaps some concern about the 1/2c. Depends on whether common things were priced in 1/2c increments I suppose. Similar response perhaps to the rounding solution if the 1c is eliminated. I wonder how long the 1/2c circulated after 1857 and how long it took to stop using 1/2c pricing, if indeed that was prevalent in 1857. The Act only directed that the mint stop producing them.
We need a 1/10th cent coin - it's the only way we can buy exactly one gallon of gas without being ripped off!
I saw a picture of one-tenth of a cent coin in a book many years ago. It looked like a circle taken from the belly of a Flying Eagle cent. That's what the author claimed anyway.
Retired dealer and avid collector of U.S. type coins, 19th century presidential campaign medalets and selected medals. In recent years I have been working on a set of British coins - at least one coin from each king or queen who issued pieces that are collectible. I am also collecting at least one coin for each Roman emperor from Julius Caesar to ... ?0 -
@MFeld said:
I don’t see the “cancel culture” or the “reasonable response” that were included in the thread title.
It seems to me that there will still be more than enough Lincoln cents for collectors to enjoy.I think it's just the finality of the thing that affects people the most.
Pete
"I tell them there's no problems.....only solutions" - John Lennon0 -
@telephoto1 said:
I still think the cent will go the way of the half dollar. No more circulating examples, but available in Proof/Mint sets, as those coins are very profitable for the mint.At that point you could revive large cents
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Just another in a never ending litany of rants. No useful purpose is served. On to the next topic.
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@PeakRarities said:
Reads more like satire to me, idk.Exactly how I read it, and a well written satire at that. Everyone else took it literally 🤷
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Satire. Enjoyable to read all the responses taking this so seriously.
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From Google Gemini...
Canada stopped producing pennies in May 2012 and stopped distributing them in February 2013. However, consumers could still use pennies for transactions indefinitely.
Why did Canada stop making pennies?
Rising production costs: The cost of producing a penny exceeded its face value.
Declining purchasing power: The penny's purchasing power decreased over time.
Streamlining currency: The decision was intended to make Canada's currency system more efficient.
How did Canada handle the transition?
Encouraged merchants to round up or down to the nearest five cents
Developed a digital payment system for most Canadians
Educated consumers about rounding
How does this compare to the US?
The US has debated whether to get rid of the penny, citing similar reasons as Canada. Some argue that the penny is not worth its production costs. Others are nostalgic for the coin.This gives me a wonderful idea for the $1.05 bill...
Coins are Neato!
"If it's a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, then someone...somewhere...is making a penny." - Steven Wright0 -
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I’ve noticed a few sellers on eBay are pre-selling 2025 proof sets with the CENT REMOVED. 🤔
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I will never understand all the handwringing over the idea of keeping the cent.
Fact: they are made to meet demand. So, somebody sure wants them if so many are being produced.
Fact: customers and merchants could always eliminate the cent on their own. Customers can refuse to take them in change and/or merchants can round the price at the register down to the nearest nickel.
The cost to produce them does not change either fact above. Cost might be a reason to implement the above practices, but people just need to put their words into action.
If no one used the cent then production would drop to almost nothing. It doesn't take a law or executive order to accomplish that. They'd be given the JFK half treatment - made for collectors.
With very few exceptions (various small dollar issues being one of them) our coinage is made to meet demand.
Whether or not other forms of payment can be used, or whether or not individual people use coins, is all a matter of personal preference.
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I'm indifferent on the subject, but I do believe it will help create more collectors.
Dave
Always looking for original, better date VF20-VF35 Barber quarters and halves, and a quality beer.1 -
So, are they eliminated the Cent or just not minting them for circulation?? They could still put them in mint and proof sets, just charge the collector for the cost of making them. They have done that with other coins in the past.
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@Coins101 said:
So, are they eliminated the Cent or just not minting them for circulation?? They could still put them in mint and proof sets, just charge the collector for the cost of making them. They have done that with other coins in the past.I’m seeing moon money for the first 2025 MS 68 Zincoln.
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TLDR, but at some point it's time to move on. They got rid of the 3 cent nickel at some point. And FWIW, they can get rid of the $2 bill also and Kennedy half dollar.
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