The penny was the smallest unit of currency in the USD (United States Dollar) system; now, that’s the nickel. The United States government has officially made the last penny ever on November 12, 2025. The last penny will be worth more than 1 cent as the government is planning to auction it off. “I think it’s odd that every penny costs two cents to make one cent,” said Tisho Ferrigno ‘26. Its true value cost is 3.69￠. The pennies, since they were created, have been building debt due to the copper. The Federal Reserve reported 85.3 million dollars in losses in 2024 alone.
It’s hard to justify keeping pennies, too. Biddulph ‘28 said, “I think there is a lot of history behind the penny.” The US penny was first minted in 1793 and has been around since. That leads to the question… where to next? “I think the removal of the penny might influence the removal of the nickel,” mentioned Biddulph ‘28. Cash has become less and less used with the technology of tap-to-pay and the use of a physical credit card.
As the penny finds the fate of the $2 bill, the value may rise for defects and misprints. Coin collecting is a mildly popular hobby, and pennies may become the new thing. Ferrigno mentioned, “I think I will look to see what I have that’s worth more value and sell what I can.” In 2015, the Los Angeles Times reported that a man bought a penny for 2.5 million dollars.
The end of the penny has come, and Philadelphia saw the last one. It will be auctioned off to the public for a value way above 3.69￠.