The U.S. Treasury Division will mint its final penny this afternoon. FOX Enterprise’ Edward Lawrence with the newest.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck the ultimate 5 pennies on Wednesday — every bearing a uncommon omega mark — ending U.S. penny manufacturing and creating collectors’ objects that would fetch tens of millions at public sale.
The penny, first licensed beneath the Coinage Act of 1792, was not too long ago discontinued because of rising manufacturing prices over the past decade. The tiny coin now prices almost 4 cents to make however is simply value one cent.
Whereas specialists estimated the public sale worth of the ultimate copper-colored tokens between $2 million and $5 million, in keeping with USA At present, different coin collectors mentioned the estimates appear unrealistic.
Treasurer of america Brandon Seashore holds the final penny stamped on the U.S. Mint Nov. 12, 2025 in Philadelphia. Seashore pressed the ultimate pennies at an occasion held on the website. The pressed pennies bear a particular “Omega” and won’t be put in (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
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Philadelphia-area numismatist Richard Weaver, proprietor of Broomall’s Delaware Valley Uncommon Coin Firm, instructed phillymag.com when U.S. Treasurer Brandon Seashore posed for a photograph holding one of many ultimate pennies, he might have broken it.
“In case you take a look at that picture, he’s holding the penny together with his fingers on the coin,” Weaver instructed the outlet. “You simply don’t try this. Copper could be very reactive to sweat and the oils of the pores and skin, and any critical collector goes to take this picture into consideration.”
Weaver hypothesized that because the pennies had been made for a ceremonial objective and can by no means enter circulation, their worth might lower.
“You see, they had been made for this objective,” Weaver mentioned. “They had been made to be uncommon. If you see folks paying within the tens of millions for cash, they’re paying for cash which might be 100 or 200 years outdated, of which solely a handful are recognized to exist and which have survived for therefore a few years with out anybody making them for that objective in 1933 or 1794.”
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Seashore and a mint employee, Mathew Primavera, place the final penny to be struck into the machine on the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. ( Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Submit through Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
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Officers with the U.S. Division of the Treasury mentioned the uncommon handful of cash shall be auctioned by the federal government at a later date, although it has not but been introduced.
President Donald Trump in February introduced plans to halt manufacturing of the one-cent cash.
“For a lot too lengthy, america has minted pennies which accurately price us greater than 2 cents,” Trump wrote in a Reality Social put up. “That is so wasteful! I’ve instructed my Secretary of the U.S. Treasury to cease producing new pennies.”
U.S. Treasurer Brandon Seashore holds the final penny stamped on the U.S. Mint Nov. 12, 2025, in Philadelphia. (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)
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In fiscal 12 months 2024, the penny accounted for 57% of the Mint’s whole circulating coin manufacturing of 5.61 billion cash.
Primarily based on the newest estimates, the U.S. Mint expects to save lots of roughly $56 million per 12 months in manufacturing prices by nixing the coin, in keeping with its web site.
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The penny can nonetheless be used for transactions, and people in circulation will proceed to be dealt with till the tip of their 30-year lifespan.
The Mint mentioned it can additionally proceed to supply collector variations of the penny in restricted portions.
