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No, it's a more fundamental issue: merchants are free to simply refuse your business. And if you're about to pay in pennies, they'll probably refuse your business.

I doubt that's true if you're in a protected class, as defined by the appropriate laws.

Wrong. In the United States, firms cannot refuse to deal with you because of your race, gender, age, national origin, etc., but they can refuse your business for any other reason, whether you're in a protected class or not.

In other words, no, our constitution does not require us to accommodate an old black woman from Jamaica who wants to purchase a Cadillac with her hoard of five million pennies.

I think that might be off a bit. Merchants are allowed to refuse any coinage in excess of something ($20?).

Coins and paper money have different rules in general.

Merchants can refuse your business for any reason they want....

Not if you're in a protected class, like being black.

They cannot refuse you for BEING black, but they can refuse you for any other reason that isn't "protected".

Seriously? Do you have a reference for this? I don't mean to doubt you, I just would not have guessed this to be legitimate.