US Mint In Philadelphia Retires The Penny After 116 Years

The familiar clink of copper coins echoed through the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia for the last time this week as workers pressed the nation’s final batch of pennies, marking the end of a 116-year era for America’s smallest denomination.

In a ceremony attended by Mint officials, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and dozens of longtime employees, the final coins rolled off the presses on Wednesday, officially closing the book on the one-cent piece — a symbol of everyday transactions and childhood piggy banks across generations.

“Today we say goodbye to a small coin with a big legacy,” Yellen said, standing beside a gleaming press that stamped the final Lincoln pennies. “The penny served its purpose for over a century, but the economics of coin production have changed.”

The decision to eliminate the penny comes after years of debate in Congress and mounting production costs. It now costs more than 2.5 cents to make and distribute a single one-cent coin, according to Mint data. Lawmakers ultimately approved the “Currency Efficiency Act,” phasing out the penny beginning next year.

The Mint’s Philadelphia facility, which has produced billions of pennies since 1792, will now pivot toward higher-value coins and collectible minting projects. Workers described a mix of nostalgia and pride as the last copper-plated zinc blanks ran through the machines.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Mint press operator Carla Jennings, who has worked at the facility for 22 years. “We know it’s the right move financially, but everyone here feels the weight of history today.”

The final batch of pennies will be sealed and distributed to museums, collectors, and select public exhibits nationwide. Beginning next spring, cash transactions will be rounded to the nearest five cents — a change economists predict will have minimal impact on consumers.

For millions of Americans, the penny’s departure marks the end of a familiar everyday companion — one that jingled in pockets, lined fountain bottoms, and carried Abraham Lincoln’s likeness for over a century.

As the presses quieted, Mint workers paused for a final round of applause — a farewell salute to a small coin that helped build a big nation.