Take a Penny/Leave a Penny Day 2023: If you’ve taken advantage of ‘take a penny, leave a penny’ trays, dishes or cups at local stores and filling stations, you’ll appreciate the significance of Take a Penny/Leave a Penny Day on 8 August. Extra coins, including cents (also known as pennies), are placed in these receptacles for use by individuals who are short a few coins and have no access to immediate change. These little trays are not exclusive to the United States; Canada had its own take a penny, leave a penny containers until 2013, when the penny was discontinued.
TAKE A PENNY/LEAVE A PENNY DAY: HISTORY
Americans have referred to the one-cent coin as a “penny” for a very long time, likely due to the prevalence of the British penny during the colonial era. Since the half-cent was eliminated in 1857, the penny has been the lowest unit of currency in the United States. The British penny and the American cent have essentially the same value.
The first U.S. cents were introduced in the 1780s and were vastly different from the coinage currently in circulation. First, the first coins were extremely heavy and depicted Lady Liberty as a woman with cascading hair on one side. And they were typically composed of copper.
In 1909, to commemorate the centenary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, the first coin featuring an actual person’s face was issued. At least until the proposal mentioned that Abraham Lincoln would be honoured, public and official opinion had been adamantly opposed to the inclusion of an actual person on this coin. Since the affirmative response to this suggestion marked a radical departure from the previous designs, the United States has continuously produced the ‘Lincoln cent’.
In recent years, there have been calls for the elimination of pennies, as they are rarely used by the public and their production costs the U.S. Mint more than their nominal value, causing a loss and contributing to inflation. Nonetheless, the coins are still in circulation today, and until the day they are no longer, we advise you to appreciate this celebration.
Take a Penny/Leave a Penny Day 2023: ACTIVITIES
Fill a Take/Leave Penny receptacle with coins.
Have a few pennies to spare? Place it on the tray for someone else to savour.
Join the penny discussion
Examine the arguments for and against abolition of the cent. Where do you stand on the issue? Participate in the conversation and include others whenever possible.
Start a coin collection
There is no such thing as having too many hobbies, and collecting pennies is an enjoyable hobby! Acquire pennies from various countries, accumulate as many as possible, and show off your collection to other coin collectors.
Culturama Day 2023: Date, History, Activities, Facts
5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE PENNY
- In 1943, because copper was required for war efforts, cents were made with zinc-coated steel for one year, causing confusion because of their similarity to the dime.
- According to medical personnel, coins are one of the most commonly ingested foreign objects by U.S. children, but they rarely cause concern because they pass out of the body on their own.
- Abraham Lincoln’s visage is to the right, whereas the faces of other presidents on other coins face the opposite direction, because the designer, Victor David Brenner, decided to do so.
- In the past, the German ”pfennig”, Swedish ”penning,” and the English term ”penny” referred to coins and money of all denominations, not just a small amount.
- The legendary American Revolutionary War hero was the owner of a metals company that supplied the United States Mint with copper for the production of early cents.
TAKE A PENNY/LEAVE A PENNY DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | August 8 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | August 8 | Thursday |
| 2025 | August 8 | Friday |
| 2026 | August 8 | Saturday |
| 2027 | August 8 | Sunday |
