3 ms·

What's wrong with pennies? Just aesthetics? Some countries don't go below 0.05 which is essentially dividing it into 1/20s.

• protomyth 14y ago
  In the US, it is a cost issue. Pennies cost too much to make and people tend to lose them. I wish the US would get rid of the penny and nickel and go to a one decimal digit system instead of two. It would be better to go to 12 -> 1 just because of divisors (10: 1, 2, 5 or 12: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6). Much better for dividing food bills.
  • gordonguthrie 14y ago
    12 isn't the key divisor it's 60 - basis of the Babylonian system (hence minutes and seconds, and 360 degrees in a circle) and historically the basis of the 'old money' in the UK (as those of us who can remember it call it): * pound - 240 old pence * 10 bob note - 120 old pence * crown - 60 old pence * half crown - 30 old pence * florin/2-bob bit - 24 old pence * shilling/bob - 12 pence * sixpence - 6 old pence * thrupenny bit - 3 old pence * penny, ha'penny (and before my time, farthing - one quarter of an old pence). Missing intervals are the groat (4 old pence) in the old Scotch money.
    • protomyth 14y ago
      Agreed on the value of using 60 except it is too many divisions to make a coin profitably.