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Pennies are useless. Here’s who’s fighting to keep them alive.

In 2013, Canada withdrew its 1-cent piece from circulation. The US penny, however, continues to make its rounds in abandoned loose-change containers at stores across America. The US Mint saves some money in penny production by making them out of 97.5 percent zinc and 2.5 percent copper, but a penny still costs more to make than its actual face value. Some people even pay to exchange pennies for more useful currency.

Could it be sentimental value that allows the penny to halfheartedly prosper, or is it something else that makes more cents? Watch the video above to learn why pennies continue to take up space in Americans' pockets.

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