The Last Penny Will Apparently Be Minted Today - Mark This Date
OAKSTAR
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I'm wondering who gets the last one and what the grade will be? Just something to think about.
Disclaimer: I'm not a dealer, trader, grader, investor or professional numismatist. I'm just a hobbyist. (To protect me but mostly you! 🤣 )
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"More than 200 years ago, the penny could buy you a candle, some candy, or even a biscuit. Today, the humble one-cent coin has mostly been relegated to the bottoms of drawers and handbags. Maybe you're holding onto a penny as a lucky token.
But their luck is about to run out.
The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia is set to strike its last circulating penny on Wednesday after the President canceled the 1-cent coin as the cost of making them became more than their value.
Mr. Trump has ordered its demise as costs climb to nearly 4 cents per penny and the 1-cent valuation becomes somewhat obsolete.
The U.S. Mint has been making pennies in Philadelphia, the nation's birthplace, since 1793, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Today, there are billions of them in circulation, but they are rarely essential for financial transactions in the modern economy or the digital age.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Treasurer Brandon Beach were expected to be in Philadelphia on Wednesday afternoon for the final production run. The Treasury Department expects to save $56 million per year on materials by ceasing to make them.
But they still have a better production-cost-to-value ratio than the nickel, which costs nearly 14 cents to make. The diminutive dime, by comparison, costs less than 6 cents to produce and the quarter nearly 15 cents."
-CBS3 Philadelphia
Not the last by any means. Numismatic coins will continue. Probably $50 each in 2026.
The last circulation strike.
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Somebody call PCGS, Last Day of Issue slab!
Brilliant
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Will there be a point where stores or banks refuse to take them back? Will people be stuck with jars of pennies?
We made a bank run Friday for coins and the bank had no pennies to sell...they informed us that they would not have any moving forward. How long will it take for the billions of pennies out there to completely stop circulating?
They should sell off the last 500-1000 like they did with the Last Type 1 Silver Eagles. Auction them and make some money.
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Given that they have minted something like 100 billion of the Union Shield design and a lot more of the zlincons since 1982... they're going to turn to dust... without this final mintage... over 1/2 Trillion cents have been minted since 1909.
Wheat (1909-1958)
Copper 24,724,111,337
Steel 1,093,838,670
Total 25,817,950,007
Memorial (1959-2008)
Copper 141,430,531,886
1982 16,725,504,368
Zlincolns 269,350,487,317
Total 427,506,523,571
Bicentenal (2009) 2,354,000,000
Union Sheld (2010-) 103,055,656,117
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I think they’ll stop circulating pretty quickly based on Canada’s experience. Banks will still accept them just like they do other obsolete coinage. I guess the pulled cents will be melted but I don’t recall seeing specifically what the U.S. plans to do with the billions of cents that get sent their way by banks once withdrawn from circulation.
See ya!
No more dropping them on the sidewalk. I will miss kicking them down the sidewalk, though.
With the last strike of cents happening today, is there any truth to the rumor that JC Penney is officially changing their name to JC Nickel tomorrow? 🙃
maybe jc dime in a few years so sayeth the rumor mill, we shall see
The news is reporting everywhere about retailers rounding or searching desperately for penny coinage.
None of this makes sense to me with the mintages outstanding? The BILLIONS AND BILLIONS sitting in bank vaults will be more than enough for a long time - even if EVERYONE had a large drum of pennies at home?
Wrong forum. Try this one. https://forums.collectors.com/categories/world-ancient-coins-forum
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I was told the mint is supposedly holding the cent/penny and not releasing them. So your possibly paying rent on places to store all this? Like it was said it doesn't make sense
Update: the armored carriers are holding back as well
Can't wait to see what in in the Regular and Silver Proof sets in 2026, our Semi-Hemi-Demi-Centennial year!
Makes sense for the mint to stop making cents
Whatever you are, be a good one. ---- Abraham Lincoln
Now all our cents will immediately appreciate!
The last cents for circulation were minted in June of this year.
Ceremonial last striking was yesterday 11/11/2025
https://cnn.com/2025/11/12/business/last-penny-minted
Sugar magnolia blossoms blooming, heads all empty and I don't care ...
They still exist?
The last two produced were 'omega marked' cents to be auctioned off a later date.
Edit to add: Another article says 'the last few'
I live here in Philly but was indifferent to this ceremony. It doesn't carry the same impact as a first-strike ceremony.
So what happens when the treasury realizes that dropping the 1c coin increases pressure to make more 5c coins - and we lose 9c per instead of 3c per as was with the 1c coin?
As a collector I'd love the Lincoln to be struck forever. But as a member of the coin-circulating public I realize the only practical coin is the 25c coin...
Actually maybe we can get a 12 1/2c coin to be minted. It'd be kinda cool if we referred to money as "dollars and bits" instead of dollars and cents.... ah but that's just the collector in me again 😉 😉
So is this the route the pennies will take? Customers return them to the bank, the bank returns them to the government, they in turn melt them? And those holding onto theirs will just remain trapped in jars and drums...
Also, to all those cashiers out there, what will that cash register drawer cent space be used for now? Paperclips?
if people carried a $1 worth of dimes and $1 worth of quarters we could eliminate the nickel
of course that's be for every transaction of the day
Lincoln is no doubt rolling over in his grave.
Last we knew, God bless em 🙏
A great movie. 👍
OOOps, the Omega mark thing has already been brought up, MSN reports there are 5 with the Omega mark, with a nice pic showing at least 4 of them on some kind of comfy cushion surrounded by smiling mint employees
the MSN article, and the last few struck.....
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-mint-says-it-has-stamped-its-last-penny-a-historic-end-for-a-humble-coin/ar-AA1QiZuT?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=69150081464142feaf05e379afc35f15&ei=14
Is this a doubled die?
1/1
What exactly does “omega marked” mean? I’m imagining a tiny omega engraved on the dies… like those counterfeits (can’t recall where I read about those, but I’m sure it was somewhere on this forum).
An analogy in the stamp collecting field (although a flawed analogy) was the issuance of Last Day of Sale covers. The USPS did this for less than a year and it was discontinued quickly - apparently no one wanted them except me.
Here is the Last Day cover for the Marilyn Monroe stamp.
*Last Strike
or
*Later Release.
fka renman95, Sep 2005, 7,000 posts
I have that one, too.
An interesting AI review of today's event:
"The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia has been making pennies since 1793, when it was made of 100% copper and was the size of a half dollar. Since 1982, the penny has been made of copper-plated zinc, comprised of mostly zinc with a dash of copper.
The first penny featured a flowing hair “liberty” design with a frightened portrait, symbolic of the times. Changed many times over the decades, including the Flying Eagle design ((1856) 1857-58), the "Miss Liberty" wearing an Indian headdress design (1859-1909), and the Lincoln Cent, which has had slight variations since it was first introduced in 1909, most notably, the reverse changing from olive branches to the Monticello.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Treasurer Brandon Beach will reportedly be at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia for the final production run of the penny today, Wednesday. Once the last cent is struck the mint will retire the equipment and press only special coins for future collectors."
Look at all of those supervisors, no wonder it costs so much to make them. This article says last 5 have special omega marks and will be auctioned off.
https://msn.com/en-us/money/markets/the-last-pennies-were-minted-the-special-coins-will-be-auctioned-in-the-future/ar-AA1QjDTx?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=69152085c01a4f058c89415e0f66f5ae&ei=9
The Greek letter omega, meaning the last or the end. Probably some form of privy mark of the Greek letter omega.
What about "Last Strike" labels? Compared to "First Strike" labels?
Throw a coin enough times, and suppose one day it lands on its edge.
And we'll still be finding them under our couches and in our car consoles for the next 232 years.
That would be an "Omega Strike" label. copyright
I almost wish they didn’t as my wife love$ that place! Just looked it up, apparently they still have about 650 stores nationwide.
I almost wish they didn’t as my wife love$ that place! Just looked it up, apparently they still have about 650 stores nationwide.
https://packaged-media.redd.it/zfjjq72msw0g1/pb/m2-res_720p.mp4?m=DASHPlaylist.mpd&v=1&e=1763006400&s=03882f5ae2cde830b3390dc0d71c90889f8820b3
Coins are Neato!
"If it's a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, then someone...somewhere...is making a penny." - Steven Wright
I'm not quite sure I like that the last few get a special mark. Why should a special type be available to just a few people?
But it is time to let the 1c go. I don't even care if I get bad rounding. These days, with so many people anti-cash, I am happy when I can pay cash when I want to. I am fine with making this process smoother with less clutter. If I paid a 4 cent fee each time I pay cash and need change, I'd be out about 4 cents a day and wont care at all about the trivial loss. And thats the worst case.
Fwiw, I think they should remove it from the mint cents after this year, what is the point after that? Let the Lincoln set finally be finite
If this pic is any indication, one Omega has a big arse fingerprint ... Nice job!
Said 