In Russian, many words change their meaning, acquire phraseological features, are used in a figurative sense. For example, pennies - what is it, a type of money, or is it still a designation of something else? Understanding this issue is not so difficult.
A penny is money
The original meaning of the word is a thing of the past. First of all, it is definitely money. A penny is a copper or, less commonly, silver bargaining chip that was used in many countries of Europe during the late Middle Ages. Since then, they, as a monetary unit, have survived only in Poland. Linguists believe that the word "pennies" (pennies, pennies) used in the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages, which means money in general, migrated to them from the Polish language.
In Russia, they called the small copper coin in denominations of two pennies, and then half a penny, the so-called half. At one time they even minted a small coin with the name "penny", at the end of the reign of Peter I.
Phraseological meaning
At the moment, in Russian this word is used exclusively in a figurative sense. In most cases, this is a designation of cheapness without mentioning specifics. If they say something about a thing, it’s a very small price.
Often this concept is used in a dismissive sense, especially when it comes to material gain received for something. For example: “Yes, what kind of salary is pennies” or “Is it money - pennies” and even “the abyss for copper pennies”, “it’s not worth a penny”.
In approximately the same sense, the word "penny" is used. But if a penny is now a monetary unit circulating throughout Russia, then pennies were minted during the time of Peter I.
Speaking appropriateness
Given that, figuratively, pennies are a negligible price, it is worthwhile to be careful about using this word. It is quite acceptable in colloquial speech, in fiction to give the story imagery and special meaningful content. In journalistic articles, this word is used to create a corresponding emotional response from readers. For example, if the article says that pennies are allocated to healthcare, this will cause a more distinct resonance than if a specific amount is mentioned.
In business and official correspondence, the use of the word "pennies" is unacceptable, it is too emotional and can lead to an ambiguous understanding of the text. Better to use more neutral in sound words and phrases.