“God bless America, and we are going to save the taxpayers $56 million,” Beach said. This statement was made by Brandon Beach, the U.S. Treasurer, on Nov. 12, 2025—the day the very last penny was minted at the Philadelphia Mint. After 232 years, the classic copper coin found everywhere has now been discontinued. 

In February 2025, Trump announced his plan to discontinue the one-cent coin, as minting a single penny costs approximately 3.69 cents. Phasing out the penny’s production is estimated to save the treasury $56 million annually. Furthermore, the U.S. has now joined Canada, New Zealand, and Australia in eliminating one-cent coins. 

As for the people, pennies are still legal tender for now, but will soon no longer be accepted in the coming years. This will affect consumers because purchases will now be rounded to the nearest nickel. Electronic payments will not be impacted, but cash payments will. Here is what Lianna Xie, a freshman student, has to say on the matter.

”I do understand that it costs more than a penny to make a penny, but it will definitely make things more annoying when paying with cash because I will get scammed of up to 4 cents,” Xie said. Since the penny will soon no longer be accepted, what do people plan to do with their pennies? As of now, pennies can still be exchanged for other coins or bills at the bank. Others might hang on to the rare coins as keepsakes or for their future value. Here is what Xie will be doing.

”I have a lot of pennies that I have not used, so I can save them and eventually sell them for money and get rich,” Xie said. So the next time you want to hear someone’s thoughts, give them a nickel instead of a penny.