The Last US Cent Was Struck Today (11-12-2025)

Goodbye and good riddance to the zincoln, 43 years late.

Speaking for myself, I'm quite content with the Lincoln Cent having a long run--even those with the zinc core. All the talk about getting rid of them quickly before they rot was always a bit humorous--at least for me. I have a nice collection of Lincoln cents--in Danscos, to BU++ in tubes, to 2x2s. I haven't lost a zinc cent yet to rot--not one. Having said all that, I'm looking forward!

The Philly TV stations are all showing footage of the final strike. I was looking forward to the 250 year design . ANAcoincollector had posted photos of several different designs.

Last Cent for circulation, but they still have the Semiquincentennial cents? I heard they will still be including a Cent in the mint and proof sets but that seems like alot of trouble to produce them just for the sets. As much as I like collecting Cents, if you're going to end them, just end it period.

I read a similar article in the NY Times. At the end, the writer speculated that the nickel may be the next to go, as it has lost a lot of its buying power, too.

I can imagine the quarter and the half-dollar being the only coins around..
It would make it easier for the kids to figure out how much change to give back to the customer at McDonald's...

Coin collectors need not worry, though: Numismatic editions of the penny will still be produced in limited numbers, Treasury officials said so Id not worry about collector set inclusion.

While it saves the treasury money, it may cost businesses or consumers and need to keep an eye on this. The lack of pennies has also become a legal minefield for stores and retailers. In some states and cities, it is illegal to round up a transaction to the nearest nickel or dime because doing so would run afoul of laws that are supposed to place cash customers and debit and credit card customers on an equal playing field when it comes to item costs.

So, to avoid lawsuits, retailers are rounding down. While two or Three Cents may not seem like much, that extra change can add up over tens of thousands of transactions. A spokesman for Kwik Trip, the Midwest convenience store chain, says it has been rounding down every cash transaction to the nearest nickel. That's expected to cost the company roughly $3 million this year. Some retailers are asking customers to give their change to local or affiliated charities at the cash register, in an effort to avoid pennies as well.

A bill currently pending in Congress, known as the Common Cents Act, calls for cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest nickel, up or down. While the proposal is palatable to businesses, rounding up could be costly for consumers.

Also seems to be a shortage due to the federal reserve, but the above issue had t yet been worked out despite bilkions of pennies out there. The distribution of coins is handled by the Federal Reserve system. Several companies, mostly armored carrier companies, operate coin terminals where banks can withdraw and deposit coins. Roughly a third of these 170 coin terminals are now closed to both penny deposits as well as penny withdrawals.

Bank lobbyists say these terminals being closed to penny deposits is exacerbating the penny shortage, because parts of the country that may have some surplus pennies are unable to get those pennies to parts of country with shortages.

"As a result of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's decision to end production of the penny, coin distribution locations accepting penny deposits and fulfilling orders will vary over time as (penny) inventory is depleted" a Federal Reserve spokeswoman said.