Coin collectors estimate worth of ultimate pennies minted in US

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck the ultimate 5 pennies on Wednesday—every bearing a uncommon omega mark—ending U.S. penny manufacturing and creating collector’s gadgets that would fetch thousands and thousands at public sale.

The penny, which was first licensed beneath the Coinage Act of 1792, was just lately discontinued attributable to rising manufacturing prices during the last decade. The tiny coin now prices practically 4 cents to make, however is just price one cent.

Whereas specialists estimated the public sale worth of the ultimate copper-colored tokens between $2 million and $5 million, in accordance with USA At the moment, different coin collectors mentioned the estimates appear unrealistic.

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Philadelphia-area numismatist Richard Weaver, proprietor of Broomall’s Delaware Valley Uncommon Coin Firm, advised phillymag.com when U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beech posed for a photograph holding one of many remaining pennies, he could have broken it.

“When you take a look at that photograph, he’s holding the penny along with his fingers on the coin,” Weaver advised the outlet. “You simply don’t do this. Copper could be very reactive to sweat and the oils of the pores and skin, and any critical collector goes to take this photograph into consideration.”

Weaver hypothesized that because the pennies had been made for a ceremonial function and can by no means enter circulation, their worth could lower.

“You see, they had been made for this function,” Weaver mentioned. “They had been made to be uncommon. If you see folks paying within the thousands and thousands for cash, they’re paying for cash which are 100 or 200 years previous, of which solely a handful are recognized to exist and which have survived for therefore a few years with out anybody making them for that function in 1933 or 1794.”

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Seaside and a mint employee, Mathew Primavera, place the final penny to be struck into the machine on the US mint in Philadelphia, P.A. on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.  ( Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Put up through Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)

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Officers with the U.S. Division of the Treasury mentioned the uncommon handful of cash will probably be auctioned off by the federal government at a later date, although it has not but been introduced.

President Donald Trump in February introduced plans to halt manufacturing of the one-cent cash.

“For much too lengthy, the US has minted pennies which accurately value us greater than 2 cents,” Trump wrote in a Reality Social submit. “That is so wasteful! I’ve instructed my Secretary of the U.S. Treasury to cease producing new pennies.”

Treasurer of the US Brandon Seaside holds the final penny stamped on the U.S. Mint on Nov. 12, 2025 in Philadelphia, P.A. Seaside pressed the ultimate pennies at an occasion held on the facility.  (Matthew Hatcher/Getty Pictures / Getty Pictures)

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In fiscal yr 2024, the penny accounted for 57% of the Mint’s whole circulating coin manufacturing of 5.61 billion cash.

Based mostly on the newest estimates, the U.S. Mint expects to save lots of roughly $56 million per yr in manufacturing prices by nixing the coin, in accordance with its web site.

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The penny can nonetheless be used for transactions, and people in circulation will proceed to be dealt with till the tip of their 30-year lifespan.

The Mint mentioned it’s going to additionally proceed to provide collector variations of the penny in restricted portions.