Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
The last penny has officially been minted, and the economics behind it make the decision impossible to argue with. It now costs four cents to produce a one-cent coin, and adjusted for inflation, even the old half-cent was worth more than the penny, the nickel, and nearly the dime are today. Here’s why the penny is gone, why the nickel may be next, and what this says about the cost and value of U.S. currency.
The last penny has officially been minted, and the economics behind it make the decision impossible to argue with. It now costs four cents to produce a one-cent coin, and adjusted for inflation, even the old half-cent was worth more than the penny, the nickel, and nearly the dime are today. Here’s why the penny is gone, why the nickel may be next, and what this says about the cost and value of U.S. currency.
