The humble 1p coin could soon become a thing of the past as The Bank of England is considering its future.
The fate of the 1p lies with us and the way we use it as more than half in circulation are only used once.
The Bank's theory is that the rise of card payments makes the issue irrelevant - and far fewer items are now priced ending in 99p.
The value of the 1p coin has also been reduced by inflation so, in effect, the 1p coin is now worth less than the halfpenny when it was abolished in 1984.
Among many of those who support the continuing use of copper coins, the belief is that retailers would simply round up prices to the nearest 5p if copper coins were scrapped.
Many countries - including Canada, the home of Bank of England governor Mark Carney - have ditched their low denomination coins, as well as Australia, Brazil, and Sweden who are also doing so.
Studies from around the world have shown that removing low denomination coins would have little or no impact on prices.
The Bank of England economists said: "As inflation steadily erodes the purchasing power of low denomination coinage, the case for the removal of the 1p becomes stronger."
