This Is the Least Valuable Coin in the World

The Canadian mint has started its effort to wipe the penny from existence, and plenty of people in the US (including President Obama) would like to do the same. But the BBC reminds us that the one-cent piece isn't the smallest to change hands in US history—the half-cent was done away with in 1857—and it's far from the least valuable coin currently in circulation. That honor goes to Uzbekistan's Tiyin, which is worth 1/1999th of a penny. But the Tiyin lacks purchasing power, so it's rarely seen or used these days, explains the BBC.

And while it sits atop the heap of chump change, it's not alone: Burma's Pya is worth 1/855th of a US penny, while Jamaica's cent equals 1/92nd of a penny. But there is a flip side: Norway's Krone is the equivalent of 18.2 US pennies. (More penny stories.)