🪙✨ After more than 200 years in circulation, the U.S. Mint has just produced its final penny. The humble one-cent coin, which once jingled in pockets and piggy banks across the nation, now costs nearly four cents to make. Talk about penny pinchers! 💸
So why say goodbye to the penny? Rising metal and manufacturing expenses have turned each coin into a loss for the Mint. Instead of 1¢, it’s costing 4¢ to keep the penny alive—an unsustainable model in today’s cash-light world.
What’s next? Expect rounded totals at checkout and a bigger role for digital payments. Many stores will round cash transactions to the nearest five-cent increment. And for coin collectors, these final pennies might become future treasures!
Heads up, cash lovers! While pennies will slowly leave circulation this year, feel free to hang on to any old jars of coins—they could be worth more than face value down the road. Who knows? Your loose change might pay off in a few years. 😉
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
