US Penny Production Officially Discontinued After 230 Years, What Happened?

Liputan6.com, Jakarta The U.S. Mint officially discontinued production of the one-cent coin in the United States on Wednesday, November 12 or 13, 2025.

This discontinuation marks the end of a long era for the coin, which has been existed for more than 230 years in the country.

The penny was first minted in 1793 at the Philadelphia Mint, the same place where the last one was produced.

This historic decision was based on several key factors, including inefficient production costs and a direct directive from President Donald Trump.

Discontinuing penny production is expected to bring significant savings to the federal budget.

While pennies already in circulation will remain legal tender, their circulation is expected to slow over time.

The discontinuation of penny production also echoes the experiences of other countries, such as Canada, which have already taken similar steps.

Goodbye, penny. 👋 The U.S. Mint says it is stopping the production of pennies, a historic move more than two centuries after the one-cent coin entered circulation.The last penny was stamped at the Philadelphia U.S. Mint during an event on Nov. 12. https://t.co/3XffAwFPvV pic.twitter.com/7liF0Mc9D4

— Yahoo News (@YahooNews) November 12, 2025

The U.S. Mint's discontinuation of penny production was driven by significant economic concerns.

Each penny costs nearly 4 cents to produce, more than three times its face value.

The U.S. Mint's 2024 annual report showed that the cost of producing a penny reached 3.69 cents, making it financially inefficient.

The decision to discontinue production also follows a direct directive from President Donald Trump in February 2025.

Through the platform Truth Social, President Trump stated that minting pennies was costing the country more than 2 cents per coin, calling it wasteful.

“For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents,” Trump wrote in an online post in February.

“This is so wasteful!”

He then instructed the U.S. Treasury Secretary to immediately halt production of new pennies.

In addition to cost considerations, the declining value of pennies and their lack of relevance in modern transactions were also factors.

These coins are often simply stored in drawers or jars, and shifts in consumer habits toward the digital age are further reducing their use.

Discontinuing penny production is estimated to save taxpayers approximately $56 million annually, a substantial figure.

Historically, this is not the first time the United States has discontinued production of a specific coin.

The last US coin to be discontinued before the penny was the half cent in 1857.

Although production of new pennies has ceased, existing pennies remain legal tender.

It is estimated that approximately 300 billion pennies remain in circulation in the United States, and these coins will retain their value indefinitely.

However, their active circulation is expected to slow over time.

Some retailers have opted to round prices down to avoid a shortage of change, while others have asked customers to pay with exact change.

Some businesses have even asked customers paying cash to round up as a form of donation.

Kwik Trip, a large convenience store chain, took the drastic step of automatically rounding down all cash transactions.

On the other hand, public sentiment toward the penny is quite mixed.

Many Americans harbor nostalgia for the coin, considering it a symbol of good luck or a fun collectible.

As part of the transition, some of the last pennies minted will be auctioned off, becoming valuable collectibles.

The United States' decision to discontinue penny production is not without precedent on the global stage.

Canada, for example, discontinued its penny minting in 2012.

Canada's decision was driven by similar reasons: rising production costs and the increasingly significant decline in the penny's purchasing power in everyday transactions.

In Europe, the future of the 1p and 2p coins in the UK is also in doubt.

The UK Treasury has reportedly stopped ordering new coins, indicating the possibility of a similar discontinuation in the future.

This global trend indicates that many countries are beginning to re-evaluate the relevance and efficiency of low-value coins in the modern economy.

The history of coin production in the United States itself is long and rich. The U.S. The U.S. Mint has been producing coins for over 230 years, since its founding in 1792.

The Coinage Act of 1792 specifically authorized the U.S. Mint to produce coins from copper, silver, and gold, with the penny being one of the first coins to be minted.

In 1857, its size was reduced and its composition changed to 88% copper and 12% nickel.

Since 1982, the penny has been made primarily of zinc (97.5%) with a copper plating (2.5%).