Italy went through a similar problem decades ago, when they removed 5 & 10
lira coins from circulation. They simply passed a law that required everyone
to round to the nearest available unit (which I think was 50 lire). Then,
during the transition when they were vacuuming up all the old coins, the
government had vendors use specially made candies for 5 and 10 lire. I think
the transition took 1 or 2 years.
Alternatively, one could make pennies out of plastic. They wouldn't last as
long, but you can recycle them easily :-)
Another approach is just to ignore the problem for a while. That is, if metal
traders start *really* buying up pennies, then it will eventually lead to
significant shortage that the gov't won't be able to make up for without
blowing a wad of cash. At that point, the PR problem vanishes cuz the
'people' will insist on a solution and the majority will probably settle for
anything that costs less - including eliminating pennies altogether.
Cheers.
Fil
Keith Russell wrote:
> Dear Colleagues
>
> I'd like to suggest a design problem that seems worth the solving: how to eliminate the USA one cent/penny? It now costs more to make the cent than it is worth - soon the metal traders will be buying them up at a profit.
>
> It is an interesting communication/PR design problem.
>
> Keith Russell
> Newcastle OZ
--
Prof. Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Ryerson University Tel: 416/979-5000 x7749
350 Victoria St. Fax: 416/979-5265
Toronto, ON email: [log in to unmask]
M5B 2K3 Canada http://deseng.ryerson.ca/~fil/
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