Colin Gregory Palmer Grey, who apparently divides his time between time management coaching, public speaking, and producing informative and amusing videos on a wide variety of subjects, thinks that it’s time to kill the penny. Watch this clever video and see if you don’t agree.
Grey’s mention of the half-penny brought back a memory. In Britain, the half-penny persisted much longer than in the U.S. (until 1969, according to Wikipedia), and they called it a “ha’penny” (pronounced “hay-penny”). Back in my youth, I really liked Peter, Paul, and Mary, and they had a lovely song about wassailing in England called “A Soalin'” that includes this lyric:
I have a little pocket to put a penny in
If you haven’t got a penny, a ha’penny will do
If you haven’t got a ha’penny, then God bless you
Here’s a nice 1964 performance: