Interactive video lesson plan for: Pennies are useless. Here's who's fighting to keep them alive.

Canada got rid of them, why can't the US?

Watch Matthew Ygelsias explain who's fighting to save to the penny.

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Video by Gina Barton, Matthew Yglesias, Matt Moore

Pennies may hold sentimental value to Americans, but they are basically useless. It is not uncommon for people to leave them in a loose-change container when receiving money after a transaction. Americans for Common Cents, a pro penny group in Washington DC, is fighting to keep the penny in circulation. They are backed by Jarden Zinc Products, a company that sells the zinc-based coin blanks to the US Mint.

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