Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. A penny is a coin (pl. pennies) or a type of currency (pl. pence) used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.Old English versions of the word penny are penig, pening, penning and pending; the word appears in German as Pfennig, in Dutch as penning. and in West Frisian as peinje or penje. These words are thought by some to have common roots with the English word "pawn", German Pfand, and Dutch pand, words which mean "a pledge or token".