Yesterday's blog reminded me that I had made a note to myself to further check on a phrase that appeared on the 1787 penny. The coin was reportedly designed by Benjamin Franklin and was known as the Fugio cent. The front side had the image of a sun and sundial above the message "Mind Your Business",the reverse side featured a chain with 13 links representing the original colonies and was encircled with the motto "We Are One". I imagine Franklin meant mind your business in regards to one's finances,but who knows? he could have been referring to keeping out of other people's private lives.
The word penny has many variations across Europe,pfennig in Germany,penning in Sweden. It originally denoted any sort of coin or money not just the small amount we think of today when the word penny is used. Many countries are eliminating the one cent coins. In the U.S. it costs almost double (1.8 cents) the face value to mint the penny. Even though it would be easier in several ways to do away with the penny it would be sad to be without it.
The word penny has many variations across Europe,pfennig in Germany,penning in Sweden. It originally denoted any sort of coin or money not just the small amount we think of today when the word penny is used. Many countries are eliminating the one cent coins. In the U.S. it costs almost double (1.8 cents) the face value to mint the penny. Even though it would be easier in several ways to do away with the penny it would be sad to be without it.
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