Summary:

The phrase 'a penny for your thoughts' is not just a polite way of asking someone what's on their mind, but also carries profound cultural implications. With the changing value and significance of the penny in our culture and economy, we might soon be saying, 'A few dollars for your thoughts.'

When someone appears disengaged, aloof, or irritated, it is common to say, "A penny for your thoughts.?

Article

The origin can be traced back to 1535, when British Sir Thomas More wrote "A Treatise upon the Last Things" (Four Last Things). "In such wise yt not wtoute som note & reproach of suche vagaraunt mind, other folk sodainly sat the them: a peny for your thought." At the time, the British penny was worth a significant sum. How about 2 lbs of cheese, two dozen eggs, two chickens, or a gallon of ale? The British penny was also known as a "cartwheel."

https://www.historyhit.com/money-in-medieval-england/

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-current-value-of-a-thought-with-inflation-factored-in-since-the-first-attributed-use-of-the-phrase-a-penny-for-your-thoughts

Inflation and the reduction of the purchasing power of money have a long history.

The United States, as a very young country, began producing pennies in 1793. With a penny you could purchase a hand full of nails, a simple meal, some chees, or a mug of beer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_(United_States_coin)

https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny

https://www.quora.com/What-could-you-buy-for-a-penny-in-1795-just-after-the-US-Mint-started-minting-them

Roll forward to 2025. What is a penny worth? Manufacturing a penny costs almost 4 cents, and they are commonly discarded as a nuisance or trash. But the government wanted to protect government jobs for bureaucrats, so they kept creating them until now. In 2026, the U.S. Mint will cease manufacturing pennies. It's about time.

The U.S. government lost over 85 million dollars on the three billion pennies it produced last year.

Americans throw away up to $68 million in pennies per year.

60% of the coins in circulation sit in coin jars.

Do you remember the old proverb, "A penny saved is a penny earned"

Others are always offering their "two cents."

With the reduced purchasing power, we must now substitute the word penny with dollars, in most cases, many dollars.