Kevin Federline, Britney Spears' husband, joined Americans for Common Cents and Virgin Mobile in New York to push pennies.
There is no immediate danger to the penny, said Matthew Eggers, policy director of Americans for Common Cents, but there is a commonly held notion that the penny wastes consumers' and retailers' time and money.
Rep. Jim Kolbe, R-Ariz., introduced a bill in 2001 to eliminate the penny.
Eggars argues that eliminating pennies would hurt poor people and charities that depend on small donations. Surveys also show two-thirds of Americans still like pennies. The zinc industry is very involved in promoting the penny, which is 97 percent zinc. Coin collectors are also concerned.
Federline became a penny activist when he received a text message from Virgin Mobile. The company introduced its new 1-cent text messaging offer Wednesday.
