The end of the penny: last cent struck, what to keep
The US Mint struck its last circulating penny on 12 November 2025. What it means for the 300 billion left, what a 2025 penny is worth, which cents to pull now.
2025 penny value chart
| Coin | Circulated | Uncirculated | Top grades / record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 and 2025-D Lincoln Shield cents | Face value | Prices still settling | More than a billion struck in 2025 |
| The Omega final-strike sets (2025 cent, 2025-D cent, 24-karat gold cent) | — | 232 sets auctioned for $16,764,500 in total; set #232 brought $800,000 | Each coin carries a small Omega privy mark |
Source: US Mint press release of 12 Nov 2025; CoinNews production figures and auction report (11 Dec 2025); Treasury savings estimate as reported by Axios (22 May 2025). There are no settled market prices yet for uncirculated 2025 cents. Values checked on 2026-10-29. Values are reference ranges for typical examples, from published price guides and recent sales, and are not an offer to buy. Rare varieties and high grades need authentication before you trust a price.
How to check yours
- Keep pre-1982 cents. They are 95% copper, and the wheat cents among them include every key date of the series.
- Check 1943, 1944, 1955, 1969-S and 1972 against the rare pennies list; the end of the series changes nothing about which cents were valuable.
- Do not pay a premium for loose 2025 cents. Over a billion were struck in 2025 before production stopped, so a worn 2025-D is a one-cent coin.
- Photograph anything that passes. The coin identifier reads the date and mint mark; a candidate error goes to PCGS or NGC before you sell it.
On 12 November 2025 the US Treasurer struck the last circulating cent at the Philadelphia Mint, and the jar of pennies on every dresser became a small piece of history. This page is the calm version of that news: what actually changed, what the 2025 cents are worth, and which pennies were worth pulling out all along.
Facts checked on 29 October 2026 against the US Mint press release and the sources named under the chart.
- 232years of production, 1793–2025
- 3.69¢cost to make one cent (US Mint)
- ~300 billioncents still in circulation
- $56Mestimated annual saving
What happened, in order
The Treasury ordered the end of penny production in early 2025 and placed its final order for blanks in May. Production for circulation wound down over the summer, with none reported struck for circulation in August, September or October, and the ceremonial final strike took place on 12 November 2025. The Mint then offered 232 three-coin Omega sets, each a 2025 cent, a 2025-D cent and a 24-karat gold cent with a small Omega privy mark; Stack’s Bowers auctioned them in December 2025 for a combined $16,764,500, and the very last set, #232, brought $800,000. The 2026 cent, dual-dated 1776–2026, is struck for collector sets only.
What it means for your pennies
They are still money. Legal tender did not change; only new supply stopped. Banks accept them, and most retailers take them, with cash totals increasingly rounded to the nearest 5 cents.
Common cents stay common. About 300 billion exist, far more than commerce needs. A dateless jar of Memorial cents is worth face value, as it was last year.
Copper cents are worth sorting. Pennies struck before mid-1982 are 95% copper. Melting them is prohibited, so their value is as coins: the wheat cents, and the key dates and errors in the table below.
2025 cents are not rare. More than a billion were struck in 2025, so a loose coin is worth face value. Uncirculated coins and sealed Mint rolls may carry a premium, but prices are still settling; check sold listings, not asking prices. The penny value pages will add 2025 and 2025-D values once there are sales to source them from.
The cents that were always worth checking
| Pull these | Why |
|---|---|
| Any wheat cent (1909–1958) | A few cents for most; $65 to $10,500+ for the key dates. See the wheat penny guide |
| 1943 and 1944 | Magnet test for the copper and steel errors (1943, 1944) |
| 1955, 1969-S, 1972 | Doubled dies worth $200 to $30,000+ |
The rare pennies list gives the identifying mark and a price range for each. Photograph both sides and the coin identifier reads the date and mint mark and gives an estimated value, and the app keeps the ones worth keeping in a collection.
Scan your coin with the free app
Photograph the front and back and Coin Checker tells you the coin, the mint mark, the varieties to look for and an estimated value — then saves it to your collection. Free on iPhone and Android.
Frequently asked questions
Did the US stop making pennies?
Yes. The US Mint held a ceremonial final strike of the circulating one-cent coin on 12 November 2025 at the Philadelphia Mint, after the Treasury placed its last order of penny blanks in May 2025. The Mint said it will keep striking pennies in limited numbers for collectors.
Are pennies still legal tender?
Yes. The US Mint says the penny remains legal tender, and the roughly 300 billion in circulation keep their value. Retailers increasingly round cash totals to the nearest 5 cents, but a penny still counts.
Will pennies become valuable now?
Not in bulk. Three hundred billion is more than commerce needs, so common cents stay common, and the key dates and errors are worth what they were before the announcement. The coins worth sorting for are the same ones as before: wheat cents, the doubled dies and the 1943 and 1944 errors.
How much is a 2025 penny worth?
Face value for a circulated coin: more than a billion 2025 cents were struck, so they are not rare. Prices for uncirculated coins and sealed Mint rolls are still settling, so check recent sold listings rather than asking prices before you pay a premium. The Omega final-strike sets are a different thing; they sold at auction.
Why did the penny cost more than a cent to make?
Metal, minting and distribution costs rose while the coin's buying power fell: the US Mint reported that the cost of making a penny rose from 1.42 cents to 3.69 cents over the past decade. The Treasury expects ending production to save about $56 million a year.
Is there a 2026 penny?
Only for collectors. The 2026 dual-dated 1776–2026 cent is struck for Mint sets, not for circulation, according to the Mint's 2026 coinage announcement; confirm current availability on usmint.gov before paying collector prices.