Penny (United States coin)

{{Short description|Current lowest-value American coin}} {{Other uses|Penny (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2023}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox coin | Country = United States of America | Denomination = Cent | Value = 0.01 U.S. Dollar | Mass_troy_oz = 0.08 | Mass = (1982–present) 2.5 | Diameter_inch = 0.75 | Diameter = 19.05 | Thickness_inch = 0.0598 | Thickness = 1.52 | Edge = Plain | Composition = (1982–present) copper-plated zinc<br />97.5% Zn, 2.5% Cu | Years of Minting = 1793–present (after 2025 produced for collectors only) | Obverse = US One Cent Obv.png | Obverse Design = Abraham Lincoln | Obverse Designer = Victor D. Brenner | Obverse Design Date = {{Start date and age|1909}} | Reverse = | Reverse Design = Union Shield | Reverse Designer = Lyndall Bass | Reverse Design Date = 2010–present }} The '''penny''', officially the '''cent''', is a coin in the United States representing one-hundredth of a dollar. It has been the lowest face-value physical unit of U.S. currency since the abolition of the half-cent in 1857.{{refn| group = lower-alpha | The abstract mill, which has never been minted, equal to a tenth of a cent, continues to see limited use in the fields of taxation and finance.}} Introduced in 1793, it was produced for circulation until 2025 and continues to circulate.

The United States Mint's official name for the coin is "cent"<ref name="Specifications">{{Cite web |title=The United States Mint Coin Specifications |url=http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/index.cfm?action=coin_specifications |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091111035023/http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/index.cfm?action=Coin_specifications |archive-date=November 11, 2009 |access-date=November 9, 2009 |publisher=United States Mint |quote=Denomination:Cent; Nickel; Dime; Quarter Dollar.... (categories across the top of the specifications chart) |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> and the U.S. Treasury's official name is "one cent piece".<ref name="Treasury">{{Cite web |title=Denominations |url=http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Coins/Pages/denominations.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317025911/http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Coins/Pages/denominations.aspx |archive-date=March 17, 2015 |access-date=March 3, 2015 |publisher=United States Department of the Treasury |quote=The proper term is "one cent piece," but in common usage this coins is often referred to as a penny or cent. |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> The colloquial term ''penny'' derives from the British coin of the same name, which occupies a similar place in the British system. ''Pennies'' is the plural form, not to be confused with ''pence'', which refers to the unit of currency.

The first U.S. cent was produced in 1787, and the cent has been issued primarily as a copper or copper-plated coin throughout its history. In 1792, Congress established the U.S. Mint, which began producing coins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of U.S. Circulating Coins |url=https://www.usmint.gov/content/usmint/us/en/learn/history/us-circulating-coins |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=www.usmint.gov |language=en}}</ref> In the same year, the Coinage Act of 1792 mandated that the penny be valued at one hundredth part of a dollar and contain precisely eleven penny-weights of copper.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Coinage Act of April 2 1792 |url=https://www.usmint.gov/content/usmint/us/en/learn/history/historical-documents/coinage-act-of-april-2-1792 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=www.usmint.gov |language=en}}</ref> In March of 1793, the newly established Mint in Philadelphia distributed the first set of circulating U.S. currency – 11,178 copper cents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of U.S. Circulating Coins |url=https://www.usmint.gov/content/usmint/us/en/learn/history/us-circulating-coins |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=www.usmint.gov |language=en}}</ref>

The penny was issued in its current form as the Lincoln cent, with its obverse featuring the profile of President Abraham Lincoln since 1909, the centennial of his birth. From 1959 (the sesquicentennial of Lincoln's birth) to 2008, the reverse featured the Lincoln Memorial. Four different reverse designs in 2009 honored Lincoln's 200th birthday and a new, "permanent" reverse – the Union Shield – was introduced in 2010. The coin is 0.75 inches (19.05 mm) in diameter and 0.0598 inches (1.52 mm) in thickness. The current copper-plated zinc cent issued since 1982 weighs 2.5 grams, while the previous 95% copper cent still found in circulation weighed 3.11 g.

In the early 2010s, the price of metal used to make pennies rose to a noticeable cost to the Mint which peaked at more than 2¢, a negative seigniorage, for the 1¢ face-value coin. This pushed the Mint to again look for alternative metals for the coin. Due to inflation, a single penny has lost virtually all its purchasing power. The coin was viewed as a burden to businesses, banks, government (especially mints) and the public in general;<ref name="time">{{Cite web |last=Nicks |first=Denver |date=April 20, 2016 |title=Even the U.S. Treasury Secretary Wants to Scrap the Penny |url=https://money.com/get-rid-of-penny-jacob-lew/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805212857/https://money.com/get-rid-of-penny-jacob-lew/ |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |access-date=April 24, 2018 |website=Money.com}}</ref> one survey found that two percent of Americans throw pennies in the trash.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-07-02 |title=Idea of a penniless America gains currency |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13561777 |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref> Debate mounted over eliminating the coin, which can only be done through an act of Congress.

In November 2025, the Mint suspended the production of pennies for circulation, largely due to cost.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adedoyin |first=Oyin |date=May 22, 2025 |title=Treasury Sounds Death Knell for Penny Production |url=https://www.wsj.com/finance/penny-coin-mint-ending-2026-b1717de0 |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Isidore |first1=Chris |last2=Egan |first2=Matt |date=2025-05-22 |title=The Treasury unveils its plan to kill the penny |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/22/business/us-discontinue-penny |access-date=2025-05-22 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The penny continues to circulate and remains legal tender, and is still minted for collectors.<ref name="Mint">{{Cite web |title=United States Mint Hosts Historic Ceremonial Strike for Final Production of the Circulating One-Cent Coin |url=https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-hosts-historic-ceremonial-strike-for-final-production-of-the-circulating-one-cent-coin |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=www.usmint.gov |language=en}}</ref>

==History of composition== The composition of the penny has varied over time:<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 20, 2016 |title=Coin Specifications |url=https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/coin-specifications |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220506205342/https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/coin-specifications |archive-date=May 6, 2022 |access-date=March 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=U.S. Mint |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Coin Production |url=https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/coin-production#composition |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218023158/https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/coin-production#composition |archive-date=December 18, 2020 |access-date=December 20, 2020}}</ref> {| class="wikitable"

|- style="text-align: left;"

! Years !! Material !! Weight<br />(grains) !! Weight<br />(grams) |- | 1793–1795 || ~100% copper || {{convert|208|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1795–1857 || ~100% copper || {{convert|168|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1856–1864 || 88% copper, 12% nickel (also known as NS-12) || {{convert|72|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1864–1942 || bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) || {{convert|48|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1943 || zinc-coated steel (also known as 1943 steel cent) || {{convert|42|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1944–1946 ||gilding metal (95% copper, 5% zinc) || {{convert|48|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1947–1962 || bronze (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc) || {{convert|48|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | 1962 – September 1982 || gilding metal (95% copper, 5% zinc) || {{convert|48|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |- | October 1982 – present || copper-plated zinc (97.5% zinc, 2.5% copper) || {{convert|38.6|gr|g|disp=table|abbr=on}} |}

The isotope composition of early coins spanning the period 1828 to 1843 reflects the copper from Cornish ores from England, while coins after 1850 reflect the Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan ores, a finding consistent with historical records.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mathur |first=R |year=2009 |title=The history of the United States cent revealed through copper isotope fractionation |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=430–433 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2008.09.029|bibcode=2009JArSc..36..430M }}</ref>

In 1943, at the peak of World War II, zinc-coated steel cents were made for a short time because of war demands for copper. A few copper cents from 1943 were produced from 1942 planchets remaining in the bins. Similarly, some 1944 steel cents have been confirmed. From 1944 to 1946, salvaged ammunition shells made their way into the minting process, and it was not uncommon to see coins featuring streaks of brass or having a considerably darker finish than other issues.

During the early 1970s, the price of copper rose to the point where the cent contained almost one cent's worth of copper. This led the Mint to test alternative metals, including aluminum and bronze-clad steel. Aluminum was chosen, and over 1.5 million samples of the 1974 aluminum cent were struck before ultimately being rejected.

The cent's composition was changed in 1982 because the value of the copper in the coin started to rise above one cent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meridith |first=Stephanie |date=February 1, 2022 |title=Historic Coin Production |url=https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/historic-coin-production |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618100733/https://www.usmint.gov/learn/history/historic-coin-production |archive-date=June 18, 2023 |access-date=September 20, 2023 |website=United States Mint }}</ref> Some 1982 cents used the 97.5% zinc composition, while others used the 95% copper composition. United States cents minted after 1982 have been zinc with copper plating. The bronze and copper cents can be distinguished from the newer zinc cents by dropping the coins on a solid surface, or by flipping them in the air with one's thumb. The predominantly zinc coins make a lower-pitched "clunk" when hitting the surface, and make no sound when flipped in the air; while the copper coins produce a higher-pitched ringing sound.<ref name="ring">{{Cite web |title=Is my Penny a Copper, or a Zinc Cent? |url=http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/copper_to_zinc.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707074834/http://coins.about.com/od/uscoins/f/copper_to_zinc.htm |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=June 16, 2008}}</ref> In addition, a full 50-cent roll of pre-1982–83 coins weighs {{convert|5.4|oz|g|abbr=on}} compared to a post-1982–83 roll which weighs {{convert|4.4|oz|g|abbr=on}}.

==Designs== The coin has gone through several designs over its two-hundred-year time frame. The original cent coin manufactured by the U.S. Mint featured Lady Liberty.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penny |url=https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coins-and-medals/circulating-coins/penny |access-date=2025-07-07 |website=www.usmint.gov |language=en}}</ref> One design featuring Lady Liberty was cut by Henry Voigt, but these coins were likely experimental, and did not enter circulation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Smithsonian Institution |title=1 Cent, Pattern, United States, 1792 |url=https://www.si.edu/object/1-cent-pattern-united-states-1792%3Anmah_835234 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Smithsonian Institution |language=en}}</ref> William Russel Birch is believed to have been the artist who rendered the flowing hair design of Lady Liberty on the original cut cent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Birch Cent, United States, Pattern, 1792 |url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_739593 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=National Museum of American History |language=en}}</ref> Until 1857 it was about the size of the current U.S. dollar coins (Susan B. Anthony through present dollars). Shown below are the different cent designs that have been produced; mintage figures can be found at United States cent mintage figures.

'''Large cents:''' * Flowing Hair Chain 1793 * Flowing Hair Wreath 1793 * Liberty Cap 1793–1796 * Draped Bust 1796–1807 * Classic Head 1808–1814 * Coronet 1816–1839 * Braided Hair 1839–1857, 1868{{refn| group = lower-alpha | The 1868 large cent was not a regular issue coin.}} '''Small cents:''' * Flying Eagle cent (1856–1858) * Indian Head cent (1859–1909) * Lincoln cent (1909–present) ** Lincoln Wheat (1909–1958) ** Lincoln Memorial (1959–2008) ** Lincoln Bicentennial 4 reverse designs<ref>{{cite web |title=Lincoln Bicentennial Cents |url=https://kids.usmint.gov/about-the-mint/lincoln-bicentennial-cents |website=United States Mint |access-date=2 January 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250116044714/https://kids.usmint.gov/about-the-mint/lincoln-bicentennial-cents |archive-date=2025-01-16 |language=en-US |url-status=live}}</ref> (2009) ** Lincoln Union Shield<ref>{{Cite web |title=The United States Mint Coins and Medals Program |url=http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/lincolnRedesign/?action=2010Penny |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304205911/http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/lincolnredesign/ |archive-date=March 4, 2010 |access-date=December 27, 2010 |publisher=USMint.gov}}</ref> (2010–present)

No cent coins were stamped with the year 1815. Shipments of copper planchets from the United Kingdom were embargoed during the War of 1812, and the Mint's supply was exhausted in October 1814. Cent coins resumed minting in December 1815, though it is not clear whether these were stamped 1814 or 1816.<ref>{{cite web |last=Robinson |first=E. B. |date=November 30, 2022 |title=In What Year Were No Cents Produced? |url=https://www.numismaticnews.net/collecting-101/in-what-year-were-no-cents-produced |work=Numismatic News |publisher=The Arena Group}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/coin-world-numismatics-coin-collecting-hobby-1815-cents-philadelphia-mint-bill-eckberg-war-of-1812-american-history-us-coins.html |title= 1815 the only date since 1793 for which no cents can be found |first=Bill |last=Eckberg |date=January 21, 2015 |work=Coin World |publisher=Amos Media}}</ref>

Throughout its history, the Lincoln cent has featured several typefaces for the date, but most of the digits have been old-style numerals, except with the 4 and 8 neither ascending nor descending. The only significant divergence is that the small 3 was non-descending (the same size as a 0, 1, or 2) in the early history, before switching to a descending, large 3 for the year 1934 and then permanently ({{As of|2014|lc=on}}) in 1943. Similarly, the digit 5 was small and non-descending up to 1945.

<gallery> File:1794_1C_%27Venus_Marina%27_(S-32)_(obv).jpg|Liberty Cap cent, 1794 File:1811_cent_obv.jpg|Classic Head cent, 1811 File:1850_large_cent_obverse.jpg|Braided Hair large cent, 1850 File:NNC-US-1858-1C-Flying_Eagle_Cent.jpg|Flying Eagle small cent, 1858 File:NNC-US-1859-1C-Indian_Head_Cent_(wreath).jpg|Indian Head cent, 1859 </gallery>

==Lincoln cent== {{Main|Lincoln cent}}

<gallery> File:1937-Wheat-Penny-Front-Back.jpg|A 1937 wheat cent File:United States penny, obverse, 2002.png|Cameo proof Lincoln cent, obverse File:1990-issue US Penny obverse 2.jpg|Obverse side of a cent after 17 years of circulation </gallery> The Lincoln cent is the current one-cent coin of the U.S. It was adopted in 1909 (which would have been Lincoln's 100th birthday), replacing the Indian Head cent. Its reverse was changed in 1959 from a wheat-stalks design to a design which includes the Lincoln Memorial (to commemorate Lincoln's sesquicentennial) and was replaced again in 2009 with four new designs to commemorate Lincoln's bicentennial. There are more one-cent coins produced than any other denomination, which makes the Lincoln cent a familiar item. In its lifespan, this coin has weathered both world wars, one of which temporarily changed its composition as part of the war effort. The obverse design is the longest produced for any circulating American coin.

===History=== [[File:Lincoln Cents, 1941-1974.png|thumb|upright=2|A nearly complete collection of Lincoln cents from 1941 to 1974 in a folder.]] {{multiple image | header = Reverses of the Lincoln cent | width = 140 | perrow = 2 | align = right | image1 = Wheatback2014.png | alt1 = | caption1 = Wheat (1909–1958) | image2 = 2005 Penny Rev Unc D.png | alt2 = | caption2 = Lincoln Memorial (1959–2008) | image3 = | alt3 = | caption3 = Birth and early childhood in Kentucky (Lincoln Bicentennial, 2009) | image4 = Formative Years in Indiana Reverse.jpg | alt4 = | caption4 = Formative Years in Indiana (Lincoln Bicentennial, 2009) | image5 = | alt5 = | caption5 = Professional life in Illinois (Lincoln Bicentennial, 2009) | image6 = | alt6 = | caption6 = Presidency in DC (Lincoln Bicentennial, 2009) | image7 = | alt7 = | caption7 = Union Shield (2010-present) | footer = }} When the Lincoln one-cent coin made its initial appearance in 1909, it marked a radical departure from the accepted styling of United States coinage, as it was the first regular coin to bear a portrait other than the mythical Liberty which appeared on most pre-1909 regular coins. Previously, a strong feeling had prevailed against using portraits on coins in the United States, but public sentiment stemming from the 100th anniversary celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth proved stronger than the long-standing tradition.

A variety of privately minted tokens bearing Lincoln's image circulated as one-cent pieces during Lincoln's presidency; legitimate coinage had become scarce during the Civil War. These early tokens undoubtedly influenced the denomination, appearance, size, and composition of Lincoln cents.

Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th U.S. president, thought American coins were so common and uninspiring that he attempted to get the motto "In God We Trust" removed as offending religion. Roosevelt had the opportunity to pose for a young Lithuanian-born Jew, Victor David Brenner, who, since arriving nineteen years earlier in the United States had become one of the nation's premier medalists. Roosevelt had learned of Brenner's talents in a settlement house on New York City's Lower East Side and was immediately impressed with a bas-relief that Brenner had made of Lincoln, based on a Mathew Brady photograph. Roosevelt, who considered Lincoln the savior of the Union and the greatest Republican president, and who also considered himself Lincoln's political heir, ordered the new Lincoln cent to be based on Brenner's work and to be released just in time to commemorate Lincoln's 100th birthday in 1909. The likeness of President Lincoln on the obverse of the coin is an adaptation of a plaque Brenner created several years earlier which had come to the attention of President Roosevelt in New York.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Margolick |first=David |date=February 11, 2007 |title=Penny Foolish |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/opinion/11margolick.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402225343/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/11/opinion/11margolick.html |archive-date=April 2, 2019 |access-date=May 22, 2010 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

In addition to the prescribed elements on U.S. coins—LIBERTY and the date—the motto In God We Trust appeared for the first time on a coin of this denomination. The United States Congress passed the Act of March 3, 1865, authorizing the use of this motto on U.S. coins,<ref name="history">{{Cite web |title=History of 'In God We Trust' |url=http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117073139/http://www.treasury.gov/about/education/Pages/in-god-we-trust.aspx |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |access-date=April 29, 2016 |website=treasury.gov}}</ref> during Lincoln's tenure in office.

Even though no legislation was required for the new design, approval of the Secretary of the Treasury was necessary to make the change. Franklin MacVeagh gave his approval on July 14, 1909, and not quite three weeks later, on August 2, the new coin was released to the public.

===Wheat cent (1909–1958)=== A study of three potential reverses resulted in the approval of a very simple design bearing two wheatheads in memorial style. Between these, in the center of the coin, are the denomination and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, while curving around the upper border is the national motto, ''E Pluribus Unum'', Latin for "Out of Many, One".

The original model bore Brenner's name on the reverse, curving along the rim below UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. Before the coins were issued, however, the initials "VDB" were substituted because officials at the United States Mint felt the name was too prominent. After the coin was released, many protested that even the initials were conspicuous and detracted from the design. Because the coin was in great demand, and because to make a change would have required halting production, the decision was made to eliminate the initials entirely. In 1918, after the controversy over Brenner's name and initials on the reverse had died down, his initials were placed on the obverse with no further controversy. They are to be found in minute form on the rim of the bust, just under the shoulder of Lincoln.

Thus, in 1909, the U.S. had six different cents: the 1909 and 1909-S Indian Head cents, and four Lincoln coins: 1909 '''VDB''', 1909-S VDB, 1909 and 1909-S. In all cases, the Philadelphia mintages far exceeded the San Francisco issues. While the smallest mintage is the '09-S Indian, the '09-S VDB is the key Lincoln date, and hence is most valuable. Its mintage of 484,000 is only 1.7% of the plain V.D.B.

===Lincoln Memorial cent (1959–2008)=== [[File:20050228 200242 1 revers lincoln.999x989.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Detail of reverse showing Daniel Chester French's ''Abraham Lincoln'' statue inside the Lincoln Memorial]] On February 12, 1959, a revised reverse design was introduced as part of the 150th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. No formal competition was held. Frank Gasparro, then Assistant Engraver at the Philadelphia Mint, prepared the winning entry, selected from a group of 23 models that the engraving staff at the Mint had been asked to present for consideration. Again, only the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury was necessary to make the change because the design had been in use for more than the required 25 years. The imposing marble Lincoln Memorial provides the central motif, with the legends ''E Pluribus Unum'' and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA completing the design, together with the denomination. The initials "FG" appear on the right, near the shrubbery. This series is noteworthy for having the image of Abraham Lincoln both on the obverse and reverse, as his likeness can be discerned in the depiction of Daniel Chester French's ''Abraham Lincoln'' statue at the center of the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. {{clear}} ===Lincoln Bicentennial cents (2009)=== The Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 required that the cent's reverse be redesigned in 2009. This resulted in the mintage of four different coins showing scenes from Abraham Lincoln's life in honor of the bicentennial of his birth.

These four designs, unveiled September 22, 2008, at a ceremony held at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., are: * Birth and early childhood in Kentucky: this design features a log cabin and Lincoln's birth year 1809. It was designed by Richard Alan Masters and sculpted by Jim Licaretz. This cent was released into circulation on Lincoln's 200th birthday, February 12, 2009, at a special ceremony at LaRue County High School in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Lincoln's birthplace.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kocher |first=Greg |date=February 13, 2009 |title=Lincoln's birthplace is launch site for new penny |url=http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/692636.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217191849/http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/692636.html |archive-date=February 17, 2009 |access-date=November 26, 2009 |work=Lexington Herald-Leader}}</ref> The mintage was extremely low compared to prior years (see Lincoln cent mintage figures). It has been nicknamed the "Log Cabin Penny". * Formative years in Indiana: this design features a young Lincoln reading while taking a break from rail splitting. It was designed and sculpted by Charles Vickers. Nicknamed the "Indiana Penny", it was released on May 14, 2009.<ref name="WP-20090216">{{Cite news |last=O'Keefe |first=Ed |date=February 17, 2009 |title=Heads Abe, Tails New On Pennies Marking Lincoln Bicentennial |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601311.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604121132/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601311.html |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |access-date=August 22, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=A11}}</ref> * Professional life in Illinois: this design features a young professional Lincoln standing before the Illinois State Capitol, in Springfield. It was designed by Joel Iskowitz and sculpted by Don Everhart. Nicknamed the "Illinois Penny", it was released on August 13, 2009.<ref name="WP-20090216" /> * Presidency in Washington, D.C.: this design features the half-completed Capitol dome. It was designed by Susan Gamble and sculpted by Joseph Menna. This fourth cent was released to the public on November 12, 2009.<ref name="WP-20090216" /> U.S. Mint released collector's sets containing this design in copper prior to the public launch of this design in zinc.

Special 2009 cents struck for sale in sets to collectors had the metallic copper content of cents minted in 1909 (95% copper, 5% tin and zinc).<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Mint Online Product Catalog |url=http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14920&langId=-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727070550/http://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=14920&langId=-1 |archive-date=July 27, 2011 |access-date=July 20, 2011 |publisher=Catalog.usmint.gov}}</ref> Those struck for circulation retained the normal composition of a zinc core coated with copper.

===Union Shield cent (2010–present)=== thumb|upright=0.8|The reverse of a Union Shield penny, since 2010 The 2005 act that authorized the redesign for the Bicentennial stated that another redesigned reverse for the Lincoln cent will be minted which "shall bear an image emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of the United States of America as a single and united country".<ref name="redesignlaw">{{USStatute|109|145|119|2674|2005|12|22}} – Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, Title VI, §303. "The design on the reverse of the 1-cent coins issued after December 31, 2009, shall bear an image emblematic of President Lincoln's preservation of United States of America as a single and united country." Retrieved November 30, 2009.</ref> Eighteen designs were proposed for the reverse of the 2010 cent.<ref name="designs">{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=June 9, 2009 |title=2010 Lincoln Cent Design Proposals |url=http://2010lincolncents.com/2010-lincoln-cent-design-proposals/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125204203/http://2010lincolncents.com/2010-lincoln-cent-design-proposals/ |archive-date=November 25, 2009 |access-date=November 30, 2009 |publisher=2010 Lincoln Cents |quote=There were initially 18 design proposals for the 2010 Lincoln Cent reverse.}}</ref> On April 16, 2009, the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) met and selected a design that showed 13 wheat sheaves bound together with a ring symbolizing American unity as one nation.<ref name="cfa">{{Cite journal |last=McAllister |first=Bill |date=May 4, 2009 |title=Wheat Design may appear on the 2010 cent |journal=Coin World |volume=50 |issue=2560 |page=1}}</ref> Later this design was withdrawn because it was similar to coinage issued in Germany in the 1920s.<ref name="ccac">{{Cite journal |last=McAllister |first=Bill |date=May 18, 2009 |title=Mint withdraws 2010 'Wheat' cent design |journal=Coin World |volume=50 |issue=2562 |page=1}}</ref> The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee later met and chose a design showing a Union shield with {{Small|ONE CENT}} superimposed in a scroll; E Pluribus Unum was also depicted in the upper portion of the shield.<ref name="ccac" /> In June 2009 the CFA met again and chose a design featuring a modern rendition of the American flag.<ref name="ccac/">{{Cite journal |last=McAllister |first=Bill |date=May 18, 2009 |title=Commission votes for U.S. flag on 2010 1¢ |journal=Coin World |volume=50 |issue=2565 |page=1}}</ref> As a part of the release ceremony for the last of the 2009 cents on November 12, the design for the 2010 cent was announced.<ref name="designchose">{{Cite journal |last=Gilkes |first=Paul |date=November 30, 2009 |title=Cent to bear Union Shield design in 2010 |journal=Coin World |volume=50 |issue=2590 |pages=1, 68}}</ref> The design chosen was the one that was chosen earlier by the CCAC.<ref name=designchose/> According to the Mint, the 13 stripes on the shield "represent the states joined in one compact union to support the Federal government, represented by the horizontal bar above".<ref name="mintpr">{{Cite press release |title=United States Mint Releases Fourth 2009 Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin |date=November 12, 2009 |publisher=United States Mint |url=http://usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=press_release&ID=1080 |access-date=November 30, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106054936/http://www.usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=press_release&ID=1080 |archive-date=January 6, 2010}}</ref> The Mint also noted that a shield was commonly used in paintings in the Capitol hallways painted by Constantino Brumidi, an artist in the Capitol active during the Lincoln Presidency.<ref name=mintpr/>

The obverse of the cent was also changed to a modern rendition of Brenner's design.<ref name="designchose" /><ref name="headsmod">{{Cite journal |last=Gilkes |first=Paul |date=February 15, 2010 |title=Mint Returns to 1909 Galvano for Portrait |journal=Coin World |volume=51 |issue=2601 |pages=1, 24}}</ref> The new Union Shield design replaces the Lincoln Memorial in use since 1959.<ref name="designchose" /> The coin was designed by artist Lyndall Bass and sculpted by U.S. Mint sculptor-engraver Joseph Menna.<ref name="designer">{{Cite press release |title=United States Mint Launches 2010 Lincoln One-Cent Coin |date=February 11, 2010 |publisher=United States Mint |url=http://usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=press_release&ID=1101 |quote=The reverse of the 2010 and beyond Lincoln cent was designed by United States Mint Artistic Infusion Program Associate Designer Lyndall Bass and executed by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Joseph Menna. |access-date=February 11, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216092737/http://usmint.gov/pressroom/index.cfm?action=press_release&ID=1101 |archive-date=February 16, 2010}}</ref> In January 2010, the coins were released early in Puerto Rico;<ref name="rico">{{Cite journal |last=Gilkes |first=Paul |date=February 8, 2010 |title=First Circulation Reports of 2010 Cents From Puerto Rico |journal=Coin World |volume=51 |issue=2600 |page=5}}</ref> this was caused by a shortage of 2009-dated pennies on the island.<ref name="headsmod" /> The new design was released at a ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois on February 11, 2010.<ref name="ceremony">{{Cite news |last=Ruston, Bruce |date=February 11, 2010 |title=Collectors seek to turn profit on pennies |url=http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x228082611/New-Lincoln-penny-design-unveiled-in-Springfield |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100214113853/http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x228082611/New-Lincoln-penny-design-unveiled-in-Springfield |archive-date=February 14, 2010 |access-date=February 11, 2010 |work=State Journal-Register |quote=The newest—and for now permanent—version of the Lincoln penny was unveiled this morning at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum...}}</ref>

In 2017, cents minted in Philadelphia were struck with a "P" mintmark to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Mint. 2017 is the only year that Philadelphia cents have had a mintmark.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McMorrow-Hernandez |first=Joshua |date=January 16, 2017 |title=Philadelphia Mint Quietly Releases 2017-P Lincoln Cent |url=https://coinweek.com/us-mint-news/philadelphia-mint-quietly-releases-2017-p-lincoln-cent/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607134356/https://coinweek.com/us-mint-news/philadelphia-mint-quietly-releases-2017-p-lincoln-cent/ |archive-date=June 7, 2019 |access-date=June 4, 2018 |website=coinweek.com}}</ref> In 2019, the West Point Mint minted pennies marked with a "W" mintmark for the first time, which were only available with their annual sets, wrapped separately in their own plastic wrap.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States Mint Proof Set {{!}} U.S. Mint |url=https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/2019-united-states-mint-proof-set-now-available |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331171800/https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/2019-united-states-mint-proof-set-now-available |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |access-date=March 31, 2022 |website=www.usmint.gov}}</ref> An uncirculated cent was included with the uncirculated mint set, a proof cent with the proof set, and a reverse proof with the silver proof set.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilkes |first1=Paul |title=2019-W Lincoln cents available only as premiums |url=https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/2019-w-lincoln-cents-only-available-as-premiums.html |website=coinworld.com |publisher=Amos Media Company |access-date=8 December 2024}}</ref>

Following the 2025 halt to circulating penny production, the Mint and Stack's Bowers Galleries conducted a joint auction of 232 sets of commemorative "Omega Pennies". The three-coin sets featured traditional zinc cents struck at both the Philadelphia and Denver Mints with an "Ω" privy mark, as well as a 24-karat gold cent struck at Philadelphia, the first time the coin has been produced in gold. The sets sold for $50,000–80,000 each, with the set of the final coins struck and their dies sold for $800,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Snider |first1=Mike |title=Last 2025 pennies made at US Mint sell for millions. See how much. |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/12/17/penny-auction-results-16-million/87753262007/ |website=usatoday.com |publisher=Gannett |access-date=23 December 2025}}</ref>

The Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 ({{USPL|116|330}}) provides for, among other things, special one-year designs for circulating coinage in 2026, including the cent, for the United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary).<ref>{{cite news|title=Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020 signed by president|last=Gilkes|first=Paul|newspaper=Coin World|date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 23, 2021|url=https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/circulating-collectible-coin-redesign-act-of-2020-signed-by-president-trump|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121213123/https://www.coinworld.com/news/us-coins/circulating-collectible-coin-redesign-act-of-2020-signed-by-president-trump|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the Commission of Fine Arts recommended that the penny receive a simple dual-dating of "1776~2026" without further modifications to the reverse.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Unser |first1=Mike |title=Dual-Dated 1776~2026 Cent and Nickel Recommended for Semiquincentennial |url=https://www.coinnews.net/2024/03/05/dual-dated-17762026-cent-and-nickel-recommended-for-semiquincentennial/ |access-date=19 June 2025 |publisher=Coin News}}</ref> In December 2025, the Mint announced it would produce commemorative collectable cents with this design in 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MSN |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/new-coins-will-commemorate-250th-anniversary-of-american-independence-here-s-how-they-ll-look/ar-AA1SbiSR?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds |access-date=2025-12-13 |website=www.msn.com}}</ref>

==Manufacturing costs and debate over elimination==

===Manufacturing costs=== The price of metal drives the cost to manufacture a cent. The Secretary of the Treasury has authority to alter the percentage of copper and zinc in the one-cent coin if needed due to cost fluctuations.<ref name="United States Mint" /> Since 2006, the Mint's costs for cents have exceeded the face value of the coin. The Mint's fixed costs and overhead, are absorbed by other circulating coins.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hagenbaugh |first=Barbara |date=May 9, 2006 |title=Coins cost more to make than face value |url=https://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-05-09-penny-usat_x.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307031235/http://www.usatoday.com/money/2006-05-09-penny-usat_x.htm |archive-date=March 7, 2009 |access-date=October 4, 2006 |work=USA Today}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=April 17, 2012 |title=Statement of Rodney J. Bosco Navigant Consulting, Inc. on "The Future of Money: Coin Production"" Before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Policy & Technology United States House of Representatives – April 17, 2012 |url=http://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hhrg-112-ba19-wstate-rbosco-20120417.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916062843/http://financialservices.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hhrg-112-ba19-wstate-rbosco-20120417.pdf |archive-date=September 16, 2012 |access-date=September 10, 2012 |publisher=U.S. Congress}}</ref> As a result, the U.S. Treasury lost tens of millions of dollars every year producing cents. For example, the loss in 2013 was $55 million,<ref name="news.coinupdate.com" /> increasing to a reported $85.3 million in losses on the nearly 3.2 billion pennies produced through the 2024 fiscal year.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Tyko |first1=Kelly |last2=Bomey |first2=Nathan |date=2025-05-22 |title=Treasury Department to discontinue penny production |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/05/22/penny-coins-end-production-2026 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref> The cost to mint a cent in 2024 was 3.69 cents.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-09 |title=2024 Annual Report |url=https://www.usmint.gov/content/dam/usmint/reports/2024-annual-report.pdf |access-date=2025-02-10 |website=US Mint |page=10}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;" |+Cost to manufacture and distribute a penny, in cents !Fiscal year !2010<ref name="United States Mint">{{Cite web |last=United States Mint |author-link=United States Mint |date=December 4, 2010 |title=U.S. Mint 2010 Annual Report |url=http://www.usmint.gov/downloads/about/annual_report/2010AnnualReport.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514064318/http://www.usmint.gov/downloads/about/annual_report/2010AnnualReport.pdf |archive-date=May 14, 2011 |access-date=January 16, 2011}}</ref> !2011 !2012<ref>{{Cite web |last=Unser |first=Mike |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Penny Costs 2.06 Cents to Make in 2018, Nickel Costs 7.53 Cents; US Mint Realizes $321.1M in Seigniorage |url=https://www.coinnews.net/2019/05/24/penny-costs-2-06-cents-to-make-in-2018/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712021139/https://www.coinnews.net/2019/05/24/penny-costs-2-06-cents-to-make-in-2018/ |archive-date=July 12, 2020 |access-date=July 11, 2020 |website=Coin News |language=en-US}}</ref> !2013<ref name="news.coinupdate.com">{{Cite web |date=January 20, 2014 |title=US Mint Cost To Make Penny and Nickel Declines in FY 2013 |url=http://news.coinupdate.com/us-mint-cost-to-make-cent-and-nickel-declines-3113/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428121222/http://news.coinupdate.com/us-mint-cost-to-make-cent-and-nickel-declines-3113/ |archive-date=April 28, 2019 |access-date=January 21, 2014}}</ref> !2014<ref>{{Cite web |title=About | U.S. Mint |url=http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/PDFs/2014-rd-biennial-report.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170414013850/https://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/PDFs/2014-rd-biennial-report.pdf |archive-date=April 14, 2017 |access-date=April 24, 2018 |publisher=Usmint.gov}}</ref> !2015<ref name="http://coincollectingenterprises.com/information/cost-to-make-a-penny/penny-production-cost">{{Cite web |title=US Mint Cost To Make Penny |url=http://coincollectingenterprises.com/information/cost-to-make-a-penny/penny-production-cost |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150812160120/http://coincollectingenterprises.com/information/cost-to-make-a-penny/penny-production-cost |archive-date=August 12, 2015 |access-date=June 30, 2015}}</ref> !2016<ref>{{Cite web |last=Unser |first=Mike |date=February 21, 2017 |title=Penny Costs 1.5 Cents to Make in 2016, Nickel Costs 6.32 Cents; US Mint Realizes $578.7M in Seigniorage |url=https://www.coinnews.net/2017/02/21/penny-costs-1-5-cents/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713155254/https://www.coinnews.net/2017/02/21/penny-costs-1-5-cents/ |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |access-date=July 11, 2020 |website=Coin News |language=en-US}}</ref> !2017 !2018<ref>{{Cite web |last=Unser |first=Mike |date=May 24, 2019 |title=Penny Costs 2.06 Cents to Make in 2018, Nickel Costs 7.53 Cents; US Mint Realizes $321.1M in Seigniorage |url=https://www.coinnews.net/2019/05/24/penny-costs-2-06-cents-to-make-in-2018/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712021139/https://www.coinnews.net/2019/05/24/penny-costs-2-06-cents-to-make-in-2018/ |archive-date=July 12, 2020 |access-date=July 11, 2020 |website=Coin News |language=en-US}}</ref> !2019<ref>{{Cite web |last=Unser |first=Mike |date=February 7, 2020 |title=Penny Costs 1.99 Cents to Make in 2019, Nickel Costs 7.62 Cents; US Mint Realizes $318.3M in Seigniorage |url=https://www.coinnews.net/2020/02/07/penny-costs-1-99-cents-to-make-in-2019/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200712041543/https://www.coinnews.net/2020/02/07/penny-costs-1-99-cents-to-make-in-2019/ |archive-date=July 12, 2020 |access-date=July 11, 2020 |website=Coin News |language=en-US}}</ref> !2022<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.usmint.gov/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2022-USM-Biennial-Report_P5_FINAL.pdf |title=2022 Biennial Report to Congress as Required by the Coin Modernization, Oversight, and Continuity Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-302) |date=April 2023}}</ref> !2024<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.usmint.gov/content/dam/usmint/reports/2024-annual-report.pdf |title=2024 Annual Report |date=2024}}</ref> |- |Cost (cents) |1.79 |2.41 |2.00 |1.83 |1.70 |1.67 |1.50 |1.82 |2.06 |1.99 |2.72 |3.00 |}

When copper reached a record high in February 2011,<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 20, 2012 |title=METALS – Copper falls on euro zone disappointment, China worry |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/markets-metals-idUSL6E8JK8AM20120820 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207040910/https://www.reuters.com/article/markets-metals-idUSL6E8JK8AM20120820 |archive-date=December 7, 2018 |access-date=November 18, 2012 |work=Reuters}}</ref> the melt value of a 95% copper cent was more than three times its face value. In January 2014, a pre-1982 cent contained 2.203 cents' worth of copper and zinc, making it an attractive target for melting by people wanting to sell the metals for profit. In comparison, post-1982 copper-plated zinc cents have a metallurgical value of only 0.552 cents.<ref name="coinflation.com">{{Cite web |title=Current Melt Value Of Coins – How Much Is Your Coin Worth? |url=http://www.coinflation.com/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617065505/http://www.coinflation.com/ |archive-date=June 17, 2016 |access-date=January 21, 2014 |publisher=Coinflation.com}}</ref> Prior to 1982, the fluctuating price of copper periodically caused penny shortages, as people hoarded them for their perceived metallic value.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bradley |first1=Paul |title=On the scent of a shortage: A penny saved is a penny out of circulation |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_1982-04-20_11_16/page/n34/mode/1up |access-date=19 August 2024 |work=The Boston Phoenix |date=20 April 1982}}</ref>

Most modern vending machines do not accept pennies, further diminishing their utility.

In 2006, in anticipation of people melting down U.S. pennies and U.S. nickels for profit, the U.S. Mint implemented regulations that criminalize the melting of pennies and nickels and place limits on export of the coins.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States Mint Moves to Limit Exportation & Melting of Coins |url=https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/20061214-united-states-mint-moves-to-limit-exportation-melting-of-coins |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708091846/https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/20061214-united-states-mint-moves-to-limit-exportation-melting-of-coins |archive-date=July 8, 2018 |access-date=July 20, 2011 |publisher=Usmint.gov}}</ref> Violators can be punished with a fine of up to $10,000 USD, imprisoned for a maximum of five years, or both.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CFR 2010 title31 vol1 part82 |url=http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2010-title31-vol1/pdf/CFR-2010-title31-vol1-part82.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930033145/http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2010-title31-vol1/pdf/CFR-2010-title31-vol1-part82.pdf |archive-date=September 30, 2015 |access-date=January 5, 2013 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office}}</ref>

===Debate over elimination=== {{Main|Penny debate in the United States}}

{{Also|Canadian penny|Australian one-cent coin}} In 2024, about a quarter trillion pennies were estimated to be in circulation, or more than 700 pennies for each person in the United States. The Treasury said the coins are "severely underutilized"; they are rarely returned from consumers to businesses.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Isidore |first=Chris |date=May 25, 2025 |title=So what happens to America's 114 billion pennies once the US stops making them? |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/25/business/penny-what-happens-to-them |access-date=July 16, 2025 |website=CNN}}</ref> Most Americans do not actually spend pennies, but rather only receive them in change and proceed to store them at home, or perhaps return them to a bank for higher denomination currencies, or cash them in at coin counting kiosks.<ref name=":0"/><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzn2ZlhPwUQC |title=Future of the 1-cent Coin: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session |date=July 16, 1996 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |isbn=978-0-16-053460-7 |pages=4 |language=en}}</ref>

Because most pennies are used so few times before being lost or stored – data from 1995 found that two-thirds of pennies make "a one-way trip from the Mint... to the consumers" – they must be continuously replaced with newly minted coins to a greater degree than other denominations.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Weaver |first=Caity |date=1 September 2024 |title=America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uzn2ZlhPwUQC |title=Future of the 1-cent Coin: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourth Congress, Second Session |date=July 16, 1996 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |isbn=978-0-16-053460-7 |pages=4 |language=en}}</ref> A 1996 General Accounting Office report found that many Americans consider it a "nuisance coin".<ref>{{cite web | title=Idea of a penniless America gains currency | website=NBC News | date=July 2, 2006 | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna13561777 | access-date=November 13, 2025}}</ref> Public opinion polling in November 2025 found that 47% of Americans favored ending penny production, with 27% opposed; more opposed removing them from circulation, 42% to 34%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Americans contemplate a post-penny future {{!}} YouGov |url=https://today.yougov.com/economy/articles/53656-americans-contemplate-a-post-penny-future |access-date=2025-12-12 |website=today.yougov.com |language=en-us}}</ref>

====Proposed legislation====

United States Representative Jim Kolbe (R) of Arizona introduced bills in 2001 (the Legal Tender Modernization Act) and 2006 (the Currency Overhaul for an Industrious Nation [COIN] Act) that would have stopped penny production and forced the rounding of all cash transactions to the nearest nickel.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zappone |first=Christian |date=July 18, 2006 |title=Kill-the-penny bill introduced |url=https://money.cnn.com/2006/07/18/news/penny/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190728021810/https://money.cnn.com/2006/07/18/news/penny/index.htm |archive-date=July 28, 2019 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |work=CNN}}</ref> In 2017, Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Mike Enzi (R-WY) introduced the Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings (COINS) Act of 2017, which would have stopped the minting of the penny for general circulation for 10 years.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 29, 2017 |title=S.759 – 115th Congress (2017–2018): Currency Optimization, Innovation, and National Savings Act of 2017 |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/759}}</ref>

In April 2025, Representatives Lisa McClain (R-MI) and Robert Garcia (D-CA) introduced the Common Cents Act, a bill to formalize an end to penny production for general circulation and require cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest nickel.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Semyon |first=Cassie |date=April 30, 2025 |title='Common Cents Act' aims to stop U.S. from minting pennies |url=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/mo/st-louis/politics/2025/04/30/common-cents-act--aims-to-stop-u-s--from-minting-pennies |access-date=May 13, 2025 |website=Spectrum News}}</ref> According to the bill's text, the Mint would have the option to continue production of the cent for collectors providing that the net sales exceed the cost to produce the coins.<ref>{{cite web |date=September 4, 2025 |title=H.R.3074 – Common Cents Act |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3074/text/ih |access-date=12 September 2025 |website=congress.gov |publisher=United States Congress}}</ref>

====2025 production halt==== [[File:Kroger store penny circulation.jpg|thumb|A Kroger in Sugar Land, Texas, telling customers to provide exact change in the wake of the end of circulating penny production, November 2025.]] In February 2025, President Donald Trump instructed Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to halt penny production, citing high production costs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Klein |first=Betsy |date=February 9, 2025 |title=Trump says he's instructed the Treasury to halt penny production |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-doge-usaid-news-02-09-25#cm6yd9c61001m3b6no8ip8cc3 |access-date=February 9, 2025 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> An act of Congress is necessary for the penny's elimination, and no bill to eliminate or cease production of the penny has yet passed. However, the Treasury secretary has authority to suspend coin production upon determining that new ones are no longer needed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penny FAQs |url=https://www.usmint.gov/content/usmint/us/en/news/media-kit/penny |access-date=2025-12-15 |website=www.usmint.gov |language=en}}</ref>

In May 2025, the U.S. Treasury announced that the Mint had stopped purchasing penny planchets and production would cease at the exhaustion of the existing blanks.<ref>{{citation |last1=Thomas |first1=Ken |title=An Ode to the Penny |work=The Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/an-ode-to-the-penny/ar-AA1FjnQS?ocid=msedgntphdr&cvid=bddc46cb36134ffcdeafe6d43611e9c3&ei=16 |access-date=May 22, 2025 |last2=Adedoyin |first2=Oyin}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Adedoyin |first=Oyin |title=Treasury Sounds Death Knell for Penny Production |url=https://www.wsj.com/finance/penny-coin-mint-ending-2026-b1717de0 |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=WSJ |date=May 22, 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Isidore |first1=Chris |last2=Egan |first2=Matt |date=2025-05-22 |title=The Treasury unveils its plan to kill the penny {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/22/business/us-discontinue-penny |access-date=2025-06-03 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The last penny produced for general circulation was minted at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia on November 12, 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Isidore |first1=Chris |last2=Yurkevich |first2=Vanessa |date=2025-11-12 |title=The last-ever penny will be minted today in Philadelphia {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/business/last-penny-minted |access-date=2025-11-12 |website=CNN}}</ref>{{refn| group = lower-alpha |It was not circulated; instead, it was sold at auction in a set of three pennies, which sold for $800,000 (all of the 696 pennies sold for $16.7 million in total).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-23 |title=Auction of Pennies Hauls in Record $16.7 Million |url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/omega-pennies-set-auction-record-2733714 |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=Artnet News |language=en-US}}</ref>}} The Mint stated it will continue to produce pennies for collector sets and commemorative purposes.<ref name="Mint"></ref> The Federal Reserve stated it would continue to recirculate pennies for "as long as possible".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-12-23 |title=Penny Production Cessation FAQs |url=https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/penny-production-cessation-faqs |access-date=2025-12-24 |website=U.S. Department of the Treasury |language=en}}</ref>

By late 2025, the Federal Reserve had stopped accepting and distributing pennies at most of its terminals,<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2025-11-21 |title=Banks plead for federal guidance as penny shortage spreads |url=https://www.americanbanker.com/payments/news/banks-plead-for-federal-guidance-as-penny-shortage-spreads |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251121062323/https://www.americanbanker.com/payments/news/banks-plead-for-federal-guidance-as-penny-shortage-spreads |archive-date=2025-11-21 |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=American Banker |language=en}}</ref> These closures led to regional penny shortages. Some affected businesses began rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel when pennies are unavailable.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c20556ly45eo | title=Businesses are running out of pennies in the US| date=October 31, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=What will companies do without pennies? We asked McDonald's, Wendy's, Kroger and other top retailers. - CBS News | website=CBS News | date=November 12, 2025 | url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pennies-retailers-mcdonalds-wendys-kroger/ }}</ref> There is no nationwide policy on rounding cash transactions, and some states and cities require exact change to be given. Amid potential confusion, some states provided recommendations for rounding or considered legislation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=With Demise of the Penny, States Prepare for Change |url=https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/with-demise-of-the-penny-states-prepare-for-change |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=National Conference of State Legislatures |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Elimination of the Penny: Cents-able Considerations |url=https://www.ncsl.org/fiscal/elimination-of-the-penny-cents-able-considerations |access-date=2025-12-12 |website=www.ncsl.org}}</ref>

Without a clear mechanism for withdrawal or continued processing of pennies, ''The Atlantic'' declared that "Pennies Are Trash Now".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weaver |first=Caity |date=2025-11-16 |title=Pennies Are Trash Now |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/pennies-circulation-mint/684935/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251208231611/https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/pennies-circulation-mint/684935/ |archive-date=December 8, 2025 |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> Bipartisan lawmakers and the American Bankers Association pressured the Federal Reserve to resume penny deposits to ease the shortages, and it did so in January 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=ABA Banking Journal |date=2026-01-08 |title=Fed to resume penny deposits next week |url=https://bankingjournal.aba.com/2026/01/fed-to-resume-penny-deposits-next-week/ |access-date=2026-01-10 |website=ABA Banking Journal |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Toxicity== {{More|Zinc toxicity|Copper toxicity}} Zinc is a major component of U.S. pennies minted after mid-1982, and is toxic in large quantities. Swallowing such a coin, which is 97.5% zinc, can cause damage to the stomach lining because of the high solubility of zinc in the acidic environment of the stomach.<ref>Dawn N. Bothwell, M.D. and Eric A. Mair, M.D., FAAP. "[http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/111/3/689?ijkey=f41f5a688254663281baabc6ebe9c3bfc964e612&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha Chronic Ingestion of a Zinc-Based Penny]", ''Pediatrics'' Vol. 111, No. March 3, 2003, pp. 689–691. Retrieved April 17, 2008.</ref> Coins are the most commonly ingested foreign body in children, but are generally allowed to pass spontaneously, unless the patient is symptomatic.<ref>Mark L. Waltzman, M.D. "[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16969175 Management of esophageal coins]" ''Current Opinion in Pediatrics'' Vol. 45, No. January 1 – February 2006, pp. 71–73. Retrieved February 23, 2010.</ref> Zinc toxicity is mostly in the form of the ingestion of U.S. pennies minted after 1982, and is commonly fatal in dogs, where it causes a severe hemolytic anemia.<ref>Stowe, C. M.; Nelson, R.; Werdin, R.; et al.: "Zinc phosphide poisoning in dogs". ''JAVMA'' 173: 270, 1978.</ref>

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == *{{cite news|first=Caity |last=Weaver |title=America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny |date=2024-09-01 |newspaper=The New York Times Magazine |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html |access-date=2024-09-02 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901153612/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html |archive-date=2024-09-01}}

==External links== {{Commons category|United States cents}} * [https://www.usmint.gov/coins/coin-medal-programs/circulating-coins/penny Penny] | United States Mint

Category:Abraham Lincoln on United States currency Category:One-cent coins of the United States United States Category:1790s introductions Category:1793 beginnings