The USA Mint has formally ended the manufacturing of the penny, concluding a convention that started in 1793.
The final batch of 1-cent cash was pressed on the Philadelphia Mint on November 12, 2025, marking the top of a coin that when might purchase a biscuit however now prices virtually 4 cents to supply.
Determination pushed by prices and obsolescence
Treasurer Brandon Seashore presided over the ultimate minting, stating:
“God bless America, and we’re going to avoid wasting the taxpayers $56 million.”
President Donald Trump ordered the discontinuation of the penny because the coin’s manufacturing prices continued to exceed its face worth. In an announcement earlier this 12 months, Trump wrote:
“For a lot too lengthy america has minted pennies which accurately price us greater than 2 cents. That is so wasteful!”
Reactions from the general public and companies
Whereas billions of pennies stay in circulation and can proceed to be authorized tender, the abrupt phaseout caught many retailers off-guard, with some companies rounding costs or providing incentives for actual change.
Some banks rationed their remaining penny provides.
Historic context and legacy
The penny joins different discontinued low-value cash, such because the half-penny, final minted in 1857.
Over the previous century, about half of all cash produced at mints in Philadelphia and Denver have been pennies.
Frank Holt, a College of Houston professor, mirrored on their significance:
“They replicate our politics, our faith, our artwork, our sense of ourselves, our beliefs, our aspirations.”
Regardless of the top of manufacturing, the penny stays an iconic artifact of American financial historical past.