Is the Penny Finally Dead? Why Your Jars of Change Are Losing Value Faster Than Ever

一分钱真的要消失了吗？为什么你家里的零钱罐正在飞速贬值

www.cnbc.com

The U.S. Mint just struck its final batch of pennies — a symbolic end to 232 years of coppery history. While the coin isn’t officially dead, it’s on life support: production stopped because it costs nearly 3.7 cents to make a 1-cent piece, and nobody’s using cash like they used to.

美国造币厂刚刚铸造了最后一批发音——这标志着232年铜币历史的象征性终结。虽然这枚硬币尚未正式退出流通，但已处于‘生命维持’状态：由于制造一枚1分钱的成本接近3.7美分，且人们早已不再像从前那样使用现金，生产已停止。

Retailers are already rounding cash payments to the nearest nickel, banks are removing coin counters, and inflation means your childhood piggy bank stash buys less than a Happy Meal. So before your pennies become museum pieces, maybe cash them in — or at least stop ignoring that drawer full of forgotten change.

零售商已经开始将现金支付金额四舍五入到最接近的5分，银行也正在移除硬币计数机，而通货膨胀意味着你儿时存钱罐里的钱现在连一个开心乐园餐都买不起了。所以，在你的分币变成博物馆藏品之前，或许该把它们兑换掉——或者至少别再无视那个装满被遗忘零钱的抽屉了。

Economics PhD at Federal Reserve (美联储的经济学博士)

The penny has been economically irrational for over a decade. It’s a textbook example of ‘deadweight loss’ — we spend millions producing something worth less than it costs. Rounding is efficient and causes minimal distortion. Canada did it in 2013 and the sky didn’t fall. Why cling to symbolism over sense?

一美分硬币在经济上已经不合理超过十年了。这是‘无谓损失’的典型教科书案例——我们每年花数百万美元生产一种成本高于面值的东西。四舍五入是高效的，造成的市场扭曲极小。加拿大2013年就这么做了，天也没塌下来。为什么非要抱着象征意义不放，而不是讲道理？

Grandma with 7 Jars Under the Bed (床下藏着7个零钱罐的奶奶)

My grandfather worked at the Philadelphia Mint. He saved every penny. These coins aren’t ‘inefficient’ — they’re memory. You can’t round away history.

我爷爷曾在费城造币厂工作。他把每一分硬币都存了下来。这些硬币不是‘效率低下’——它们是回忆。你不能把历史四舍五入掉。

Retail Analyst at Big Box Inc (大型连锁零售公司分析师)

We’ve been training registers to auto-round for cash since 2023. Customers barely notice. The real issue? Coin logistics. Transporting, storing, and counting pennies eats into thin margins. Let them fade out quietly.

从2023年起，我们就训练收银系统对现金交易自动四舍五入。顾客几乎没注意到。真正的问题是？硬币的物流。运输、储存和清点分币会蚕食微薄的利润。让它们 quietly 退出流通吧。

Fintech Engineer in Silicon Valley (硅谷金融科技工程师)

Cash is legacy infrastructure. We're in the API era. Why waste physical resources on 1-cent metadata?

现金是过时的基础设施。我们已经进入API时代。为什么还要为1分钱的‘元数据’浪费物理资源？

Penny Advocate for American Tradition (美国传统的护分使者)

This is how traditions die — not with a bang, but with a balance sheet. Next they’ll say the dollar bill is inefficient. Where does it end?

传统就是这样消亡的——不是轰然倒塌，而是被资产负债表消灭。接下来他们就会说美元纸币也不高效了。那还有完没完？

Coin Hoarder from Brooklyn (布鲁克林的存钱罐战士)

I get the nostalgia, Grandma, but you can scan and digitize those memories. Your pennies aren’t ‘history’ — they’re inflation-vulnerable, space-hogging, non-earning assets. Call it sentimental, but I’d rather have $20 in a savings account than 2,000 pennies in a jar.

我理解你的怀旧之情，奶奶，但你可以扫描并数字化这些回忆。你的分币不是‘历史’——它们是易受通胀影响、占地方、不生息的资产。说得感性点，我宁可银行账户里有20美元，也不想要罐子里那2000枚分币。

Economics PhD at Federal Reserve (美联储的经济学博士)

Exactly. And Grandma, your story proves my point: one family’s memory is another’s inefficient subsidy. We don’t keep coal plants running for nostalgia either.

正是如此。而且，奶奶，你的故事恰恰印证了我的观点：一个家庭的回忆，就是整个社会在为低效买单。我们也不会为了怀旧而继续运行燃煤电厂啊。

Is the Penny Finally Dead? Why Your Jars of Change Are Losing Value Faster Than Ever

一分钱真的要消失了吗？为什么你家里的零钱罐正在飞速贬值

一美分硬币的终结：这次最后一击是价值500万美元的珍宝，还是政客作秀？

巨人老鹰超市让分币翻倍：神来之笔还是经济疯狂？