On November 12, 2025, the final penny was minted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The final penny was a long time coming after President Trump issued an order to quit production of the one-cent coin. Overall the penny was costing more to make than its face value, four cents for one, losing the government millions of dollars per year. As a result of this many businesses are rounding to the nearest nickel, as the penny is not as easily accessible unlike previous years. When you checkout you might find “Penny Rounding” on your receipt, also applying to card payments.
The penny’s run lasted 232 years. This is not the first time coins have been discontinued due to their low value. The Half Cent was discontinued in 1857 due to its low value and minimal buying value, then followed by the Two Cent and Three Cent coins in 1873 and 1889 respectively. Their buying powers, like the modern day penny, were non-existent due to inflation during that period. In today’s world, there is not much you can buy with a penny, with some only valuable due to an error or age. A common question people ask is: will the penny’s value go up because they are not being made anymore? The answer is no. 26.4 Billion pennies were minted during 2020-2023 according to linconcents.net. Senior Shane Shurter knows a lot about pennies, stating “Personally I like the penny. It’s only one cent but it still has a lot of value, especially to collectors.” Shurter also states “I think it’s cool that they are more rare now.” It also seems that people are not really seeing the effects of the penny being discontinued yet, even though it’s there. The penny had a long life, but the world is always adapting, and now it’s one where the penny isn’t necessary anymore.
