The penny -- that lowly, grimy, circular piece of copper and zinc -- is getting the last laugh. It's been less than a month since the last one was minted on Nov. 12, and there are growing penny shortages all over the US. Stores are actually paying people to bring them in, and businesses fear they could lose millions of dollars.

What's that old saying? You don't miss something until it's gone? Maybe the penny was more important than we thought. But that old one-cent coin had been fighting a losing battle for respect for years. You can't buy anything with them anymore, not even a gumball. Most of us just toss them into a junk drawer or a glass jar. A sad penny can even lie on a sidewalk all day and not get scooped up.

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