Shiny Irrelevance: The End of the Penny

The penny, a beloved member of the American currency family yet a financial burden for the US Treasury, died on Wednesday, November 12, 2025 at the age of 232. It is preceded in death by its cousin the Canadian penny (1858-2012) and survived by three younger siblings: the nickel, the dime, and the quarter.

The cause of death? Irrelevance and expensiveness, at least according to the Treasury. To be fair, the penny has largely become more symbolic than functional in today’s inflated markets where a single coin can no longer be used to purchase anything. Furthermore, the government was losing more money on minting each penny: 3.69 cents in materials and production costs against the one cent it is actually worth. If anything, it’s a surprise it has lasted this long.

Born in 1973 in Philadelphia as a creation of Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the Treasury and primary author of the Coinage Act, the penny represented various hallmarks of American democracy throughout its history. Initially, it depicted Lady Liberty on a pure copper coin before a flying eagle was adopted as the design on the obverse (heads) side in 1857. The metal composition also changed to a mixture of 88 percent copper and 12 percent nickel.

In 1909, in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday, the 16th president’s face was used on the obverse in a design that is still used on pennies today. From 1909 until 2008, the reverse depicted an image of the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate Lincoln’s 150th birthday. The most recent pennies, however, display a shield representing Lincoln’s preservation of the United States as a united country with our nation’s traditional motto “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “out of many, one.”

Over the past century, the metal composition of the penny continued to change as well. In 1943, due to the importance of copper at the height of World War 2, it was made of steel coated in zinc. Despite reverting back to copper after the war, starting in 1982 and until its death, the penny was 97.5 percent zinc and just 2.5 percent copper plating.

However, although pennies will no longer be minted by the United States government following President Trump’s order to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in February, their presence will forever be remembered, both figuratively and literally: an estimated 250 billion pennies will stay in circulation (or buried deep within our cupboards) for the decades to come.

The final five pennies that were minted all bear a rare omega mark, a distinction that coin experts claim will leave their auction value at between $2 million and $5 million.

Now, all the attention will turn towards its brother, the nickel. Coin experts already argue that the nickel’s purchasing power has shrunk as costs are rarely adjusted by a mere five cents in today’s increasingly consumerist economy. Furthermore, the manufacturing cost is at 13.78 cents per nickel, far more than it is actually worth.

While the question for other coins might be up in the air, in the meantime, let’s remember the penny’s legacy as one of diminishing relevance but surging symbolism at defining moments in American history.

Works Cited

KRISHNA MANO

Editor at The City Voice | National Junior High Story of the Year Finalist | MIPA 1st Place Award Winner

Hello! My name is Krishna Mano and I am a junior at City High School. This is my fifth year writing for The City Voice and third year as an editor. Apart from the newspaper, I am part of the Speech and Debate team, President of the 10th Grade Student Council, and Treasurer of the NHS. Outside of school, I enjoy playing the violin, reading, skiing, and paddleboarding. If you have any questions about my articles, please contact me at krishna.mano.thecityvoice@gmail.com.