Last USA Penny 2022/2023. What Now?

Fine , but they would have to redesign the whole coin from the ones we had starting 1875 . They IMHO were ugly .

I very seriously doubt it. The cost of the cent is just being passed on to other denominations and has been for years. When they make dies most are cent dies but the cost of a new die shop years ago was divided equally among the denominations. It is ridiculous to believe the fabrication cost of a nickel is three or four times as much as the cent but this is the claim. Obviously a hard cu/ ni coin wears out dies and equipment much faster than a soft toxic slug but the dies last for millions of strikes which makes the unit cost pretty low.

Even today half the coins being made by the mint are pennies and half of the time and effort to make coins turns out the less than worthless penny. But all these costs are laid out on the other coinage instead.

The real cost of pennies is staggering and can't really be computed since the fatalities caused by their ingestion is unknown and the cost of maintaining a broken monetary cash system is unknown. How do you calculate the inability to circulate a dollar coin because pennies clog up cash registers? How many covid deaths wouldn't have occurred if we had the far more sanitary one dollar coin instead of the filthy rag dollar that passes around from hand to hand for a couple months before its tattered remains are withdrawn from circulation?

It's impossible to compute the real cost of the penny but I'd estimate the production at 5c and each usage costs the commonweal another cent and a half.

But we have everything to waste now days. we make refrigerators that only last a few years and pay for them with pennies that are worth more dead than alive. As long as people are getting rich on the waste it will continue forever because that is modern America.


The nickel is a small waste but that can be rectified easily by transitioning to a small aluminum coin to replace it.

Really hoping we don't end up with small aluminum coins--that's just me.

I suggest you all get started hoarding and hopefully everyone can save all the pennies from the melting pot. (especially those eagle cents, indian head, wheats huh?)

Here's an alternative... Congress authorizes the US Mint to acquire a few billion devalued foreign coins. (Counter) punch the coins with a US counterstamp, denoting 'United States', year and denomination. Then turn 'em lose into circulation. Might not work well in vending machines, but would be a wonderful adventure none-the-less. Imagine 'doubled' counter-punches, etc.

I am in canada with a small amount of us cents, I'm gonna hoard them to PROTECT them from the pot

It seems that most are disregarding the influence of the zinc lobbyists. Not to mention the legislators that support them for kickbacks. I do not believe the cent is in peril here as long as the zinc producers have the "government " in their pocket. Just an opinion.