US EditionUS Mint Presses Final Pennies as Production Ends After More than 230 Years
The U.S. Mint ended penny production after 230 years with no federal plan for cash transactions, saving taxpayers $56 million annually, officials said.
- On Wednesday the U.S. Mint halted penny production after more than 230 years, striking the final circulation coin Nov. 12 in Philadelphia; Brandon Beach, Treasurer, said it will save taxpayers $56 million.
- Rising production costs pushed President Donald Trump to order the penny's phaseout as per‑coin costs rose above 2 cents and now approach nearly 4 cents, while Caity Weaver identified the `Perpetual Penny Paradox` last year.
- Federal officials issued no guidance as retailers and banks reported strain in recent weeks, with some rationing supplies and businesses rounding prices or requesting exact change.
- There are about 300 billion pennies in circulation and they remain legal tender until Congress acts, while recyclers face limits since pennies are mostly zinc, reducing salvage value.
- Abolition advocates note 30 years of pushing penny elimination for savings, while historians and collectors value pennies culturally; critics say the U.S. lacked Canada’s public messaging, Jeff Lenard said last month.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Rome banker offers 2 cents on the end of the penny
The U.S. Mint struck its final pennies Nov. 12, 2025 — ending more than 230 years of production of the 1-cent coin — a move the Treasury Department says will save about $56 million annually in material and production costs.…
US Mint presses final pennies as production ends after more than 230 years
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. ended production of the penny Wednesday, abandoning the 1-cent coins that were embedded in American culture for more than 230 years but became nearly worthless. When it was introduced in 1793, a penny could buy a biscuit, a candle or a piece of candy. Now most of them are cast [...]
Maine Supermarkets Plead For Pennies In Wake Of One Cent Coin's Demise
A penny for your thought? How about a gift-card for a penny? Grocery chains across the northeast, including in Maine, have put out a desperate plea for something that’s been around since 1792 – pennies. “No pennies at cash self-checkout kiosks” one major retailer, Hannaford, posted in one of its outlets. Shoppers at Price Chopper [...] The post Maine Supermarkets Plead For Pennies In Wake Of One Cent Coin’s Demise appeared first on The Maine Wir…
‘Pennies Are Trash Now’: Reporter Shocked to Discover ‘There Is No Plan’ Now That Feds Stopped Minting One-Cent Coins
Image by sigckgc on Flickr via Creative Commons license. The federal government stopped minting new pennies last week, but as one reporter who has extensively followed the saga of the little copper-colored coin discovered, there does not seem to be much of a plan for what to do next. Among the slew of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump during his first few weeks of his second term was one that ordered the U.S. Mint to cease mintin…
Editorial: A Eulogy for the Humble Penny
(Photo credit: Adobe Stock/tethysimagingllc) The American penny died on Nov. 12 in Philadelphia. It was 232. The cause was irrelevance and expensiveness, the U.S. Treasury Department said. Nothing could be bought anymore with a penny — not even penny candy, which quietly disappeared years ago — and minting one had come to cost more than 3 cents. Financial absurdity finally overtook cultural nostalgia. The last pennies rolled off the line at the …
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