Hundreds Attend Mock Funeral For The Penny At The Lincoln Memorial

Hundreds of people attended a satirical funeral for the penny Saturday at Washington D.C.’s Lincoln Memorial. The event featured actors dressed as Abraham Lincoln carrying a casket where attendees tossed pennies. Corporate spending platform Ramp organized the mock ceremony one month after the U.S. Mint stopped producing one-cent coins. “We were hired to create a silly moment,” co-producer Jarell Mique told The Washington Post. Creative producer Amber Joy Layne works for Ramp, which helps companies “automate inefficient spending.” Mique brought actors and comedians to the nation’s capital for the unusual gathering. In February, President Trump directed the U.S. Treasury to halt penny production as manufacturing costs reached nearly 4 cents per coin. Despite the production halt, billions of existing pennies will continue circulating and remain legal U.S. currency. (Story URL)