The penny has impacted America in many different ways. The first one-cent coin was created in 1792 just after the U.S Mint opened in Philadelphia. It depicted a woman with wispy, long hair. She represented freedom and liberty. This design didn’t last forever; in 1857, the one-cent coin pictured a flying eagle and a wreath. From 1859 through 1909, the penny had a picture of an Indian head. Finally in 1909, the design was changed to its modern image of a side profile of Abraham Lincon, the 16th president, and a Union Shield or the Lincon Memorial, according to usmint.gov.
On Nov. 12, 2025, the U.S. Mint produced its last penny. The penny production has come to a halt because the cost of minting pennies has risen from 1.42 cents to 3.69 cents per penny. The current administration believes that the cost of pennies exceeds their value. Therefore, moving into 2026, the country will start to rid itself of the penny.
The discontinuation of pennies will affect the cost of many, if not all, store items. Cash-paying customers will not be able to make or receive exact change, if the stores don’t have enough pennies. Companies are starting to make their prices end in a five or a zero, to make exact change possible.
Frank Wilson, an economics teacher at Spartanburg High School, sees a rise in prices due to companies rounding up to accommodate the lack of pennies in circulation.
“I do believe this will only benefit the producer side of things because companies will round up instead of down. Although we are only talking about a few pennies each time, imagine how much that could be a year for an average family of four,” Wilson said.
Some stores have experienced a complete absence of pennies; this could lead to some problems for the customers and the workers.
Kaiden Posey (10), a cashier, has not been greatly affected by the penny production.
“My experience as a cashier has been fine, even with the recent change in pennies; it really hasn’t affected my job. I don’t have to round up or down yet,” Posey said.
Pennies will no longer be made new, but there will still be around 250 billion pennies in the U.S., according to usatoday.com. The constant surplus of penny production kept every cash register and wallet stashed with pennies, now people and stores have started noticing a lack of pennies in their positions.
Bill Maurer, dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of California, tells USA Today about penny circulation.
“There will still be tons and tons of pennies out there, but their circulation will slow,” Maurer said.
There is projection that penny flow will decelerate and people will start to find pennies less frequently. Now more than ever, if a penny is found, make sure to pick it up.
