In a sidenote of a link to a New Yorker story about how the US penny is worth less than it costs to produce, John writes that he has “been throwing pennies away for years.” I think this is a strange thing to do.
How about just tossing them into a change jar at the end of the night? Then, a few months later, when those pennies (and quarters and the rest) add up, you can go to a bank (Commerce Bank is a good recommendation, as their change counter is free and quick) and get your change converted into bills.
The last time I did this, I got $326 back. Not too shabby for a bunch of worthless change. Sure, most of that money was quarters, but it seems silly to throw away pennies when they could easily be turned back into real money.
