Penny Napoleonic Wars prompted the use of base metals in 1797. Despite the decimalization of currencies in the United States and, later, throughout the British Commonwealth, the name remains in informal use. No penny is currently formally subdivided, although farthings (¼ d.), halfpennies, and half cents have previously been minted and the mill (1/10¢) remains in use as a unit of account in some contexts. "Penny" is first attested in a 1394 Scots text, a variant of Old English ', a development of numerous variations including ', ', and '. The etymology of the term "penny" is uncertain, although cognates are
Take a penny, leave a penny Then, customers who, for example, need one cent for a transaction can take one of the pennies to avoid needing one of their own or breaking a higher-denomination coin or bill. The tray can also be used by cashiers for the sake of efficiency: the cashier may take a penny (1 cent) from the tray and then give the customer, for example, one quarter (25 cents) instead of 24 cents (two dimes and four pennies, or six coins in all). These are also called "penny pools", and may be either a generic container such as a small box, or a