PENNY LANE

Fred Piscop

 

You could get it for a penny, once:

 

1. Weight and forture

2. Post card

3. Bazooka bubble gum

4. 1914 postage stamp 

Today, a penny won't even buy itself. It costs the U.S. Mint 1.76 cents ($.0176) to make a penny. A nickel costs 7.42 cents. The difference between the face value of a coin and the cost to make and distribute it is called Seigniorage. If the Seigniorage is positive, it's considered government revenue. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, $1.00 in 1900 is equivalent to $32.05 today.