Honestly, if all 114 billion pennies just disappeared, I don’t think most people would even notice. There are so many pennies out there that people aren’t using anyway. They’re just stuck in jars or under couch cushions. I remember my parents keeping this ridiculous coffee can full of change, mostly pennies, that they’d never spend. If those were gone overnight, our lives wouldn’t really change at all.

For businesses and banks, it’d mostly save everyone a lot of hassle. Businesses hate dealing with pennies because they slow everything down and barely have any value. Most countries have already ditched their smallest coins, and things work out fine. Plus, the government actually loses money making them since each penny costs more than one cent to produce. So losing 114 billion pennies would probably save the US a bunch of money in the long run.

Things might feel weird for a little while since we’re all so used to having pennies, but everyone would get over it quick. If anything, rounding prices to the nearest nickel at checkout would just make life simpler. I’d say the economy would totally survive, and most people would be glad not to mess with pennies anymore.