US Mint in Philadelphia presses final pennies as the 1-cent coin gets canceled

AP ^ | November 12, 2025 | Maryclaire Dell

[C19fan]

The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the penny, a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant.

The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country's smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793, a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off.

"God bless America, and we're going to save the taxpayers $56 million," U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said just before hitting a button to strike the final penny.

[The Great RJ]

Consumers will pay more and states will use this as an excuse to raise sales taxes. In Minnesota my $9.99 bottle of wine rings up at $11.08 with all the state and local taxes. Retailers would have to charge more or not allow cash payments.

[Semper Vigilantis]

Copper is currently down @ $4.96 per pound. Since pennies are no longer currency, can I turn mine in as scrap copper, rather than face value?
Do I have to melt them down first?

[Albion Wilde]

[Rio]

per Grok:

Yes, it is legal to melt U.S. copper pennies (pre-1982 cents, which are 95% copper) for their metal content.

Key Details
Current Law: The U.S. Treasury Department’s regulations under 31 CFR § 82.1 explicitly prohibit melting or exporting nickels (5-cent coins) and pennies (1-cent coins) only when done for the purpose of profiting from the metal value during periods of metal shortages. However, the ban on melting pennies and nickels was suspended in 2014 and has not been reinstated.

December 15, 2014 Rule Change: The Treasury amended the regulation to remove the prohibition on melting pennies and nickels. The current rule (as of 2025) states:”There is no prohibition on the melting or treatment of cents or nickels.”

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 79, No. 240 (December 15, 2014).