CHARITY WATCH : Penny Here, and There

Some people throw them out. Others hoard them. One way or another, billions of pennies disappear each year. So the copper-covered zinc coins have to be replaced.

About 12.1 billion pennies were manufactured last year, and up to 13 billion will be made this year. And all that costs the federal government--and the taxpayer--a pretty penny.

So as National Penny Week (yes, as actually designated by a House of Representatives resolution) winds up today, we offer some thoughts to help keep pennies in circulation. It seems such a waste for the U.S. Mint to have to replace so many every year.

We admit pennies are not much fun, even a nuisance. But although individually they aren’t worth much, collectively they can add up. Scott Alexander of Dansville, N.Y., said he was able to pay for a major portion of his college education with the pennies he saved since he was a child.

Many banks won’t take your pennies unless you have neatly packaged them in 50-cent wrappers. Who has the time or patience to do that? Of course not everyone is so resistant. Lots of retail cashiers are actually happy to get extra pennies, and one inventive fellow used 12,000 pennies to “tile” his bathroom floor.

And here’s a genuinely satisfying way to get rid of the lowly one-cent pieces: Give them to charity. It’s easy. Imagine if only a fraction of the billions of pennies that disappear each year was given to charities. That would indeed total up to a worthwhile contribution.

That’s our two cents’ worth, anyway.