Poll Question: Do you think the U.S. should stop the production of the one-cent coin? Why or why not?

It makes sense to save costs at the Mint so they can make more stuff to sell. That being said, there are two sides to that coin… Heads, you save $$, but tails, you have to produce more nickles because of the roundup, which is even more expensive to produce.

I hear 14 cents for one nickel…. I’m on the edge of the debate; maybe I’ll just flip a coin.

Fritz Clemens, Twinsburg, Ohio

An interesting question and debate that has been going on since (at least) the early 1990s.

The issue became headlines when, on Feb. 9, President Donald Trump instructed Scott Bessent, Secretary of the Treasury, to halt the production of the cent.

Here are some interesting facts:

The U.S. Mint minted 7.6 billion in 2020, 7.9 billion in 2021, 6.4 billion in 2022, 4.1 billion cents in 2023, and 3.2 billion cents in 2024. As you can see, there's been a decline since 2021. Nevertheless, even 3.2 billion cents is still a huge number. For reference, the U.S. population is approximately 340 million, so in 2024 alone, they minted approximately ten cents for every person alive in the U.S.

It is estimated that the cost to mint each cent is approximately 3.69 cents. So, at a loss of 2.69 Cents x 3.2 billion = $86,080,000 just in 2024 alone. And this does NOT include the added cost of wrapping them in rolls and bags and transporting them to wherever they need to go. It is estimated that this adds about 20 percent to the cost of the lonely cent, making it a loss of 2.89 cents or $92,480,000. It is estimated that the U.S. Mint lost approximately a whopping $586 Million in the years of 2009-2019.

Could you imagine what could be done with $92.5 million just in 2025? How many children could it feed, house, and educate? How many veterans could it help?

So, what happens if the Mint stops minting the cents? Nothing! Why? As of 2024, approximately a quarter trillion cents are in circulation in the United States. This is more than 700 cents for every person in the country. There is no shortage of cents, and the banks and coin exchanges have plenty of them.

There is a difference between stopping to mint new cents and stopping the use of cents in commerce and rounding up/down to the nearest five cents. That idea, although debuted greatly, is not (currently) relevant. There are enough cents in circulation to continue using them for another decade, if not more.

And seriously, for us elongated coin pressers/rollers/smashers, how many of us really smash current zinc-ers anyway? As for the machines that have the pre-loaded cents, which I hate, rest assured they will have plenty of zinc-ers to load these machines with for a very long time.

And, as we are on the subject of eliminating the minting of any new cents, I wrote an article 10 or 15 years ago to one of the coin magazines about my opinion as to the minting of coins and printing of money.

I believe that the U.S. should stop minting cents and nickels (which cost approximately 13.8 cents to make). We have enough of them in circulation.

Stop minting the half dollar. Nobody uses it anyway.

Stop minting so many different quarter and dollar coins every year. Just mint one design. It's enough. No need for the extra costs. Except for milking more collectors to buy them.

Mint new $2 (or $2.50) and $5 coins. These could be bi-metallic coins. They could be a brass insert inside a nickel ring for a slightly smaller $2 coin and a nickel insert inside a copper ring for a slightly larger $5 coin to clearly distinguish between the two denominations.

Stop printing the $1, $2 (who uses it?) and $5 bills. Widely distribute the $1 coin, which is sitting in huge quantities in the mint, treasury, and coin exchanges. It's estimated that the U.S. Treasury has over $1.4 billion coins in its vaults.

I believe that by doing this, the government will save a whole lot of money, which could definitely be used for better purposes. I also believe that the current administration has the courage and fortitude to execute such changes despite the crying and screaming of those who profit from the continuous minting and printing of these costly coins and bills. Time will tell if I am right or wrong. The halting of the minting of the cent is a good step in the right direction!

Oded Paz, Arco, Idaho

Pennies & nickels are literally worthless and expensive; stop throwing away money. Dump the half-dollar, too. These all need to be retired ASAP.

Make an 11-sided "gold" dollar of a similar size to the current one. 11-sides was planned for the 1979 SB dollar, but then the mint got stupid.

Stop making $1 bills; retire all of them, and release 20 billion new dollar coins. Canada did this years ago without a problem.

None of this works unless the antiquated coins & bills are removed ASAP—it is time to modernize.

John Steele, Address withheld

Get rid of them except for mint sets. Other countries have done this (Canada) and it saves money in the long run.

Name and Address withheld

I enjoy the penny. I learned about collecting coins from my father's collection. But it is frankly too expensive to produce the product. I think it is probably time to retire them.

Jim Burnell, Colorado

It is amazing that we are still debating this topic.

As I‘ve said before, "The cent is past its time. Has anyone who is working for an hourly wage thought how long they must work to earn one cent? For me, it figures out to two seconds. I have already spent more time typing this email than a cent is worth to me."

I have received a few pay increases since I wrote this in 2012. Today, it's less than 1.5 seconds. Just stop making the cent. It's done.

Richard Bumpus, Marion, Mass.

Well, if it’s not cost-effective, how can you produce a losing effort, maybe produce proof coins for a few years, to satisfy collectors? Then, when they are ready to break free of the cent, introduce a new nickel or dime or something to take collectors’ minds off losing the cent. I enjoy the lowly penny, and all the different varieties can make it a daunting task to complete, to be sure.

Scott N., Address withheld

As this saga continues, it may come to an end of the longest-minted coin in our history, the Lincoln cent. If it does, I hope that it will follow in the footsteps of the Kennedy Half, and an ample amount of the cents will be minted for us collectors, say 2.5 million a year, such as the half-dollar coins. However, if the cent is not made for everyday use, it will create a much bigger problem. After all the coffee cans, mason jars, and seat cushions have been used and found their way back to the Federal Reserve System, another problem comes to the forefront, that being the nickel coin.

That would be the lowest coin in circulation and already cost more to make. A lot more to make. And a lot more financial loss for the Treasury Department. There won't be a shortage of cents for years if they are no longer produced. Billions upon billions are still in existence. But back to the nickel, I believe that an alternative material being used to stop any loss will have to be forthcoming and very soon. We have been looking at the cost problem for the cent and paper dollar for years.

As a collector of modern commemoratives and other mint products, I personally have gotten tired of prices going up and up and up to offset the losses now happening. I see a lot of major changes in the future of coin collecting. It sure seems clearer to me when I hear the phrase, “A penny here and a penny there.”

James Faulkerson, Hillsboro, Mo.

STOP producing cents.

Inefficient use of equipment and personnel. The cost is 3.69 cents to make a cent! Of the billions upon billions of cents, many are still around. Fewer cash transactions all the time.

Name and Address withheld

Work with other countries to make the penny (all coins) cheaper, so they work in coin machines.

John, Address withheld

Thank you for putting this question out there. I think that the elimination of the penny would be a good idea. I realize there would still be many in circulation, which could be a benefit to those of us who collect coins. Still, if memory serves me right, Canada is no longer producing pennies, and they round to the nearest five cents when it comes to purchases.

Name and Address withheld

The U.S. should stop minting cents.

Name and Address withheld

No. I think the cent coin should continue.

Name and Address withheld

The U.S. Mint should stop minting pennies. It’s an example of government waste. However, there should be rules setting rounding requirements.

Name and Address withheld

I do not think that the penny should be discontinued entirely. If it is decided that the penny is discontinued, I think that the mint should continue to make them in limited numbers for our mint/proof sets only and not for circulation. After all, what would a set be without the penny? And because of what the mint charges for the sets, they would not lose any money on them.

Name and Address withheld

Penny should be history!

Name and Address withheld

Pennies being expensive to produce is nothing new. One of the reasons we keep changing them, from large cents to small cents in 1857 and from copper to zinc in 1982, is that shipments of pennies to places like Alaska and Hawaii cost way more than they are worth. Yet, pennies are used in everyday transactions and, as such, are necessary unless rounding up or down to the nearest nickel is considered cheaper than producing or shipping pennies.

Someone has to eat the cost either way. When will the cost of a new car be too prohibited? If something is necessary, then you pay the cost. Plastic credit/debit cards and writing checks work, but who pays the processing fees? Coins have always been part of commerce.

Name and Address withheld

It should be saved; just don’t make so many. It’s just another step to gov. controlling everything we do.

Name and Address withheld

Definitely STOP production of the one-cent coin.

1) It is essentially useless in today's retail markets.

2) It costs too much to manufacture; the Treasury is wasting our tax dollars.

3) The penny has a glorious history in our coinage, but it has now outlived its purpose - retire the coin and let it enjoy that historic presence!

Best Regards, Randy Foote

No, keep them.

Name and Address withheld

Yes, the mint should stop production of the penny because it costs too much to produce.

Name and Address withheld

As long as the government and private sector businesses use the cent, production should continue.

The cent is needed to pay sales tax, and merchants charge odd cent amounts for the products they sell. Rounding to the nearest nickel will more often than not cheat the customer.

Charitable organizations put out collection canisters at supermarket checkouts. Extra cents end up in the canisters. So, eliminating the cent will adversely affect charity revenue.

The penny is a useful tool in teaching children how to save.

The government makes a profit on every denomination except the cent and nickel. Therefore, it should be willing to take the relatively small loss on lower denominations. The government is a not-for-profit entity that is supposed to operate for public convenience and commerce.

Bruce R Frohman, Modesto, Calif.

I think the penny should stay. From what I have read, it's going to cost more if we get rid of the pennies because nickels would have to be produced more, and they cost more than nickels. So, it will cost more than keeping the pennies. I think we need to change the makeup of pennies and nickels like in Britain, where they are made from magnetic metals, to lower the costs.

Zachary Cagle, Address withheld

The cent should have been eliminated fifty years ago. It’s now time to eliminate the nickel, too.

Name and Address withheld.

I do not think the cent should be taken out of circulation. By doing so, 90 percent of businesses will automatically RAISE the prices to the next nickel. INFLATION. The cent has been in production since 1793—232 years. Let's keep a good thing going.

Name and Address withheld

I strongly believe that the United States should follow the lead of many other countries and discontinue the production of the one-cent coin. The cost of manufacturing these coins far exceeds their actual value, and they serve no real purpose in modern commerce. The time and effort spent dealing with these low-value coins—whether in transactions, handling, or storage—only adds an unnecessary burden on businesses, consumers, and the economy.

The nickel is also a significant part of this issue. It contains a substantial amount of nickel content, around 25 percent, which is essential to its durability and production. However, the cost of producing a single nickel is higher than its face value. It currently costs approximately 7.6 cents to produce each nickel, which is a stark contrast to its value of only five cents. A large portion of this cost is due to the materials, including the nickel content, which by itself is not cheap.

It is also worth considering the retirement of the dollar bill in favor of utilizing existing coins, such as the golden dollars and the Susan B. Anthony dollars, many of which are still sitting unused in vaults. The production of paper money has become costly as well, with the dollar bill being less durable than coins, leading to frequent replacements.

By aligning with the global trend of phasing out low-value coinage and reducing reliance on costly paper currency, we could save money, reduce waste, and streamline the currency system for the digital age. Let’s move forward by embracing a more efficient and cost-effective solution.

Michael Mooney, Boston, Mass.

Eliminating the cent is way overdue! In 1996, I stood outside the Denver Mint debating that issue with another numismatist. I felt it should have been eliminated way back then. The cent has been debased to junk status compared to the large solid copper cent that was originally our cent and is an embarrassment to this great nation.

When a coin costs twice its face value to make and people can't even be bothered to pick it up from the street, where it quickly corrodes, it's high time that we stopped making it. The billions of cents made every year account for roughly 2/3 of the mint's production, and they are mostly a nuisance for most people.

The half cent was eliminated in 1857, and with the amount of inflation we've had since then, the denomination is obsolete in commerce today. In fact, it's also time we eliminate the nickel five-cent piece. The dime and quarter will suffice for our circulation needs. Once we eliminate those two denominations, the government can close the branch mints and let the Philadelphia mint meet all our coinage needs, saving the government much-needed money.

Louis Ludiciani, Cumberland, R.I.

My guess is that most currency costs more to manufacture than its face value. That shouldn’t be the issue. A Lincoln cent manufactured today has years of life in circulation. I picked up $5 of pennies at my local bank and sorted them, discovering that of the $5, nearly half were shield cents while the remainder were memorial cents, and almost half of those were real copper memorial cents from 1981 and older. There was only one wheat cent in this group.

So, my conclusion is that this is the first step in forcing our great country into a cashless economy. It was idiotic to announce this stupidity on the eve of President Lincoln’s birthday.

Tom Swickrath, Address withheld

Well, YES. Some places have stopped using them. I find them all the time on the ground or by the cashier taking a penny. Yes, stop making but not stop using them. But we know how that will end up; everybody wanting to save them.

Name and Address withheld

Be like Canada, and have 5, 10, 25, 50, $1.00, and $2.00 coins made from steel. Did away with cents and also $1.00 and $2.00 bills. In time, more people will be using bank cards that have fees on them of some sort.

Name and Address withheld

It seems like the concern about the one-cent coin is that it costs two cents to make it, and the mint/government is losing money producing a coin that costs twice as much as it’s worth.

Here’s my idea: replace the one-cent coin with a two-cent coin! There have been two-cent coins in the past, so it’s not a new idea. If it costs two cents to make, then it’s a break-even deal. At retail, all totals will be in even cost amounts - no 3,5,7,9 cent totals.

Michael Heralda, Address withheld

For now, the cent is suspended; only an act of Congress can remove it. But the writing is on the wall in big, black lettering. Since we're talking about just the cent, I'm okay with it as long as San Francisco or West Point mint them for proof sets so the denomination stays alive. There are still billions and billions in circulation for the unbanked and other folks who use them.

That said, why don't we hear more about possible alternative metals for the cent and nickel? Israel successfully made 5 and 10 agorot coins out of 97 percent aluminum—3 percent magnesium in the 1970s. Why not try that for the nickel, which is the least economical coin of all?

Jody D., Florida

Continue to mint pennies. I have been a collector of pennies since the 50s.

Name and Address withheld

The U.S. Government should eliminate the cent and the nickel. The price of copper, zinc, and nickel have gone up above the face value. Also, the size of the coins doesn’t make sense anymore. The face value of the dime is more than the nickel, but it is less than half the size. Also, inflation has made them obsolete. What would remain is the dime and the quarter for circulation. They are the proper relative size, and the smallest unit would be one-tenth of a dollar. The cent and the nickel, along with the half and dollar coins, could be included in proof and mint sets. It is time to revamp the coinage.

Denny, Rockingham County, N.C.

If we stop producing the penny, we will have to make more nickels, based on other countries’ experience. At 13.7 cents per nickel produced, it appears that stopping the penny will cost the government more than it gains.

John Moorehead, Address withheld

I love the Lincoln penny, but let’s face it. It costs too much money to make. They could go to a system of either ending with a five or rounding it off to zero. We still have the nickel and the dime. So, it’s bye-bye. I’m gonna miss you, Lincoln Penny.

Jeff Mitchell, Address withheld

I say stop making them. It's not cost-effective, and l only keep the copper cents. Other than gem BU for my book, l have no use for the zinc.

James Scheuring, Address withheld

Yes.

Continue proof and mint sets with the cent included. Merchants need to stop pricing to the cent.

Horst S., Address withheld

I have been a coin collector since I was eight years old. For 52 years, I have been excited about the one-cent coins; they were fun to collect, especially when there were three different mints making them, and the 2009 reverse on the Lincoln cent. The four different kinds of reverses were very cool. Personally, I don’t really like the shield on the back of the cent, but that’s just personal taste, my favorite obviously was the wheat pennies.

However, I do feel that it is time to eliminate the cent from circulation. They could still be used, but they really have no purchasing power anymore, and people are just throwing them on the ground or throwing them away because they don’t want even to keep them in their pockets. They are considered a nuisance by most of the younger generation. I understand that it costs three cents to make a one-cent penny. I don’t see the point in losing two cents for every coin you make.

I would do is eliminate nickel blank and use the penny blank for the new five-cent piece. This way, we can save some money on how much it costs to make a nickel. I would not want to use nickel-plated steel for nickels like Canada did because they rust, and I don’t feel it would be wise to do that.

I do believe we should get rid of the cent and use the cent blank for nickels and eliminate the nickel blanks altogether. That would be the best way to handle coinage in today’s day and age. I would also like to see something other than presidents on coins, like when liberty used to be on them.

I guess the government doesn’t believe in liberty for its citizens anymore. Washington owned something like 300 slaves, and Jefferson owned 600 slaves. If that’s true, I am appalled we still have them on coins or any currency for that matter. That was a dark day in our country's history, and we should honor liberty and freedom in the future with our money.

Pastor Mark, Address withheld

Yes. Stop the Lincoln cent & also the Jefferson nickel. No business would manufacture something & sell it for 1/3 of its cost of production. Not to mention the cost of transportation from mints to Federal Reserves to individual banks.

Name and Address withheld

Absolutely! Too expensive to produce and will make instant collectibles!

Name and Address withheld

This is a no-brainer. No one would sell anything for half the price it costs to make it except the U.S. gov. Collectors of Lincoln cents - there will always be plenty out there to spend your hard-earned cash on. DOGE the cent and make a big profit on a half that will circulate.

Joe G, Carlsbad Calif.

I think it is time to end either the pennies or the nickels due to their high cost of production. Why lose money when creating coinage for a public that uses cards for most transactions?

Bill T., Address withheld

I think both one-cent pieces and nickels should be discontinued, except they should be continued for sale by the mint for numismatic sale. They could even revert to bronze and 35 percent silver. Plus, for all those who whine about rounding make all one-cent pieces worth 10 cents.

Gary Hudeck, Garrettsville Ohio

Yes, it costs more to mint the cent than what it’s worth. I say get rid of the cent and mark purchases up or down by five cents. I see people collecting or hoarding the cent once it has gone.

Name and Address withheld

I believe the mint should suspend production of the cent but not stop forever. The problem is not that "costs have gone up," but rather that the value of the Federal Reserve Note dollar has gone down.

The cent would still be useful in commerce if the "dollars" that were in circulation were constitutional dollars, defined as 371.25 grains of silver (is this the most recent definition in law?). So, terminating the cent is an admission of guilt by the federal government. An admission that they engaged in reckless spending endangering our economy. The best solution is to return (perhaps via a transition process) to constitutional money.

David Eagle, Address withheld

Yes, please stop with the cents. Four generations of my family have been trying to complete the set, only to have more years added on. I don’t want to burden the next generation.

Rory, Address withheld

I do not think it is useful to discontinue the minting of the U.S. one-cent piece. It has been around since 1793 and has been a staple of commerce since its creation. The Federal Government should look at finding the right metallic content to make the penny work so that the U.S. Mint can either break even or make a profit.

Although the Executive Branch of the Federal Government wants to end the one-cent piece, it is required by Federal Law that Congress, both the House of Representatives and the Senate, will be required to pass a bill to make this happen. Many coin collectors, including myself, started in the world of Numismatics collecting pennies to get started. If the penny gets eliminated, what next?

Currently, it costs 13+ cents to make a nickel. This is another coin the Federal Government needs to look at to change its composition in order to retain it and not eliminate it. Granted, today, a penny or a nickel cannot buy a whole lot, but if you have enough of them, you can. Let's keep the one-cent piece for commerce and for the numismatic collector.

Name and Address withheld

Well, first off, the nickel costs three times as much but is much more costly at .14 cents. The cent coming in at .037 is 3 times higher but less overall costs. The composition of metal should be considered in the future, and there may be limited production. The mint has always waivered its amount of production of coins every mint and year. I am not a fan of rounding up, and I don't think getting rid of the cent will help the economy. So, I would like to see the cent stay in place.

Name and Address withheld

The primary beneficiary of the elimination of the one-cent coin in commerce is the sales tax states! Tax collectors of such states will round up and be 2 to 4 cents richer without having to change their current added percentage. It is obviously another example of a money grab. There are billions of cents already produced and in circulation. There is no need to produce anymore to remain sustainable as a denomination and be in daily commerce.

Name and Address withheld

The penny should no longer be struck for circulation. I’ve thought that for years since it is worthless and costs more to mint than its value. Similarly, the dollar bill should be replaced by a coin. It would save hundreds of millions each year.

Douglas Trabaris, Name and Address withheld

As a collector but also a strong conservative, I am torn. On the one hand, I agree that we should all be fiscally responsible, and spending over two cents to produce each cent/penny is crazy. However, I also see the value of having the cent. Was it Henry Block that came up with the marketing strategy of 99-cent pricing? If we get rid of the cent, the cost of all commercial, taxable, public cash transactions goes up to the next nickel.

When one thinks about it, each of those transactions goes up from one cent to four cents, depending on the original cost. I actually see the value of getting rid of the production of the U.S. cent. However, I also feel that the “little guy” like me will ultimately pay more for everything we pay cash for in a store or business. Nationwide, how much per year will we actually save if we eliminate the production of the cent? Does anyone actually know? I don’t.

If we eliminate the cent, can we still use them in our daily transactions? If yes, for how long? If cents are eliminated, can current U.S. (copper/pre-1982) cents be legally melted or sold for copper scrap? Overall, I’m still on the fence on this issue.

Alexander R. Beckman, Address withheld

If it costs four cents to make one penny, then they should discontinue making them for circulation. However, they should continue making them for proof sets for collectors.

Nick P., Address withheld

The penny should have been phased out years ago. The buying power of the penny is negligible, and the production of the coins costs more than they are worth. Only cash transactions would have to be rounded to the nearest nickel. Electronic transactions and checks would still be the exact price. Rounding transactions are not new in this country. As long as I can remember, a gallon of gasoline has had 9/10 of a cent added to the price, which is then rounded to the nearest cent for all transactions.

J. Kern, Grand Ridge, Fla.

There are enough one-cent coins in existence to keep us supplied for many decades. The fact that they cost more than two cents to manufacture proves that inflation has taken us past the need for them, and most people do not want to deal with them. I suggest that the U.S. Mint update the portrait and put it in place of Roosevelt on the dime.

James Martin, Address withheld

Logically, we should stop minting the cent. However, as someone who goes through rolls of coins each week, I find more older coins in cents than any other denomination. So, I prefer keeping it. If we are going to stop minting cents, we should also stop printing $1 bills. Again, I'm being selfish as I also use a metal detector, and if dollar coins replace dollar bills, there would be more of those to find, increasing the dollar amounts I get when I'm out detecting.

Scott Canaan, Address withheld

YES. Discontinue, but don’t demonetize outstanding cents; let them stay in use. Consider continuing in mint sets/proof sets (like they did with Trade Dollars after ending circulation strikes). Such specimen strikes will be profitable to the government.

Name and Address withheld

The U.S. Government should stop the creation of pennies because the costs keep rising to create them. Canada did it many years ago!

Name and Address withheld

Get rid of all of it, just round to a dollar.

Name and Address withheld