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Penny VS Cent


MoS

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First I got in this fight with this guy on irc over it being called a cent. He says WikiPEDIA calls it a penny. I told him it a cent not a penny, I tried searching down information were it shows it really not a penny but a cent, I even explain that on the coin it says cent not penny. But he still doesnt believe me, he wants solid goverment proof. 0 :ninja:

 

Anyone have anything like that I can see? Or should I even bother with this NON-CoinCollector?

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Offically it is a cent, it say so right on the reverse. I don't know how or when it started to be called a penny but I remember buying penny candy at the store and asking my Mom for all her pennies to check for old ones. I think collectors will call it a cent, and non collectors will call it a penny.

 

 

Just my 2 cents.

Ron

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Offically it is a cent

Right, but in many countries certain denominations have "nicknames". In the UK, for example, £1 is a "quid". In Germany, the word "Groschen" was quite common for the 10 Pfennig coin, and in the Netherlands the (old) 5 cent coin was called "stuiver". The latter two refer to coins from earlier times. So maybe the "penny" in the US has a similar pedigree. :ninja:

 

Christian

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First I got in this fight with this guy on irc over it being called a cent. He says WikiPEDIA calls it a penny. I told him it a cent not a penny, I tried searching down information were it shows it really not a penny but a cent, I even explain that on the coin it says cent not penny. But he still doesnt believe me, he wants solid goverment proof. 0 :ninja:

 

Anyone have anything like that I can see? Or should I even bother with this NON-CoinCollector?

 

If his sole authority is the government don't worry about him. No matter what you say he will keep on bleating to the beat of his overlords and taskmasters. If the coin MINTED BY THE GOVERNMENT is not government enough for him then forget it. Go get yourself a milkshake and enjoy some TJ Hooker reruns on Nick at Nite.

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For about 19 of my 21 years on this rotten planet I called the Lincoln coin a penny (still do sometimes). But over time I've learned to use and love the word "cent". People give you strange looks but oh well.

 

BTW: Wikipedia = sucks. People who try to support their claim using that I normally laugh at.

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It is like saying "Doh, I am too cerebrally challenged to really research something so I will look it up on Wikipedia, it is done always rahght ain't it?"

Depends. If I just want to look something up quickly, I do use Wikipedia. Sure, I also have the Brockhaus encyclopedia on DVD, and when in doubt, I would rather trust that, or more subject specific sources. When reading (or "using") a Wikipedia article, a grain of salt can definitely not hurt. But I don't think it sucks. (Sometimes it helps reading the discussion pages too though ...)

 

Christian

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From the brochure attached to the coin set "Collecting America's Coins: Beginner Basics" issued by US Mint in 2005 (Thanks Kat for this!):

"Pennies and Cents

The nickname "penny" for one-cent coin comes from our Colonial period, when the major currency used in the American colonies was the British pound. The pound was divided into 12 pence. The name stuck, although we use "pennies" instead of "pence".

The French were among the first to think of dividing money into 100 parts, but the United States, encouraged by Thomas Jefferson, was the first country to adopt the system. The term "cent" comes from French word cent, itself derived from the Latin centum, meaning one hundred."

That's the (official) story of the nickname "penny".

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Last night I watched a move released by the US Mint and the BEP called "The Money Story", at every instance they referred to the Lincoln as a penny.

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I have seen this argument dive head long into the dump over at RCC, where it turns into vitriolic name calling etc. I find it sardonically humourous, I just cannot imagine being so impassioned about the descriptive name of a coin that you resort to spouting foul effluence towards other collectors in a forum about such.

 

Next, is it a buck or a dollar or a Sackie?

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Oh yeah? Oh Yeah!? :ninja:

 

Well........Your mother wears Cent loafers!! ;)

 

 

Yeah! That's what you think. She actually wears SBA loafers. (Sufferagette and all that). ;););)

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I've read this same discussion in many places and the best answer so far was to try singing this song:

Cents from Heaven? Or is it Pennies from Heaven??????????

Everyone I've known for the last 60+ years say pennies. I've never heard anyone yet say "Look, a CENT on the ground." "Or do you have any CENTS in your change?"

Our English Language is made up of what people say, not what a few want. Just think that silly words like AIN'T was once a word our Moms and teachers said not to use. Now it's in the dictionary. This is why we shouldn't even call our language English, it should be the American Language.

 

Of course if you live in some areas it's just Mexican lately :ninja:;)

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In the Presidential coin act of 2005 Congress calls it a penny.

So, by an act of congress its now a PENNY! :ninja:

 

SEC. 304. NUMISMATIC PENNIES WITH THE SAME METALLIC CONTENT AS THE 1909 PENNY.

 

Then the new ones had better be huge. The 1909 "Penny" was a British large penny.

That's where the use of the term "penny" originates in the U.S. - we were a British colony after all ;)

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This is why we shouldn't even call our language English, it should be the American Language.

Actually most US books, when published in Germany, will say "Aus dem Amerikanischen von XYZ" which means "(Translated) from American by XYZ". With British books that would be "Aus dem Englischen von XYZ" ... :ninja:

 

Christian

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