The United States Penny

On November 12, 2025, the United States Mint officially stopped production of the penny, marked by the ceremonial striking of the last penny to be mass produced by the Mint. The act comes after an order from President Trump due to the increasing cost of producing one cent coins. The cost to produce a penny was more than triple its value as a single cent. The United States penny has long held its place as both the smallest domination of our currency as well as one of the oldest coins to be produced by the country. 232 years ago on March 1, 1793, the one cent coin was the first coin produced by the newly established and constructed Philadelphia Mint. The first production yielded over 11,000 coins (Meredith, 2019, Para. 6). The design and name for the very first pennies were likely derived from existing currency used within the colonies of the United States.The first pennies created by the Mint were fairly different to the pennies American consumers know today.

The penny was the second smallest coin denomination when the United States established their own currency. The smallest coin to ever serve the American people was the half cent coin, produced between 1793 and 1857 (Meredith, 2019, Table 1). Not only was it not originally the smallest coin, the penny also looked quite different from the modern penny upon its first minting. Before bearing the image of President Abraham Lincoln that contemporary Americans are familiar with, the Penny went through a few iterations. The very first copper one cent piece bore the image of Lady Liberty represented as a woman with flowing hair typically in Greco-Roman styling on the obverse side (front or heads) and a link of 15 chains originally appeared on the reverse side (back or tails) though it was quickly changed to a wreath (Meredith, 2019, Para. 7). After its first appearance, the coin went through both design and composition changes. In 1909,  President Lincoln became the first president to be memorialized through United States Currency in honor of his 100th birthday (United States Mint, N.D., Para. 4). The design has not stayed the same over the years, instead it has changed to commemorate multiple important events and anniversaries related to President Lincoln.

Despite the United States Mint having followed in the footsteps of other countries such as Canada in striking the last one cent coin, the penny will not leave circulation as a legal form of currency. Business will continue to accept and give pennies as change, though there might begin to be some changes in prices to reflect the lack of a single cent piece going forward. Prices may begin to move towards denominations of five as the nickel takes its place as the smallest form of currency in production. 

If you are interested in learning more about U.S. Currency, check out the References listed below and the included recommendations list! The recommendation list also covers the popular hobby of coin collection.  If you have any questions, please reach out to a Reference Librarian! Our team is always happy to help.

References

Meredith, S. (2019, April) The history of U.S. circulating coins. United States Mint. https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/us-circulating-coins#imagegallerypdp-3eedb34f3c-item-225361f94e-tabpanel

United States Mint. (N.D.) Penny. https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny?srsltid=AfmBOoqU9j1qIt5MscXbkmqB-ajRCUfC7G-apzhKi2uJPbxSn6LV_XeD

United States Mint. (2025, November 12). United States Mint Hosts Historic Ceremonial Strike for Final Production of the Circulating One-Cent Coin [Press Release]. https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-hosts-historic-ceremonial-strike-for-final-production-of-the-circulating-one-cent-coin