November 12, 2025
Change is hard (and costs 4¢)
The last-ever penny will be minted today in Philadelphia
Goodbye, penny: checkout chaos, math fights, and meme wars
TLDR: America minted its last penny, and checkout lines are now a mix of rounding rules, legal snags, and math wars. Commenters split between “good riddance” and “we botched this,” with calls to kill more coins and finally use $1 and $2 coins fueling the fire.
The penny’s final press in Philadelphia has the internet doing anything but pocketing their opinions. President Trump called it off back in February because minting a 1¢ coin costs nearly 4¢, and now the last run will be auctioned—yet the coin stays legal tender. That’s the boring part. The juicy part? The comments are a battlefield. One user says pennies are so worthless that a TV crew dumped hundreds on a busy sidewalk and “not one person stopped.” Another blasts that other countries—hello, Canada—pulled this off smoothly, while the U.S. turned it into a no-plan, Super Bowl–day social post rollout. Ouch.
Retail drama is peaking at the register. Some stores want to round to the nearest nickel; others, like Kwik Trip, are rounding down to avoid shortchanging customers—at a claimed “couple million” hit. Cue the math fight: one commenter crunches the numbers and says, actually, that loss looks more like a couple thousand. The thread erupts into calculator wars.
There’s a bigger “make change” movement too: hot takes calling to dump nickels and dimes next, and finally use $1 and $2 coins like grown-up countries. Meanwhile, real-world headaches loom: some states require exact change, SNAP (food assistance) rules block unfair rounding, and the Richmond Fed estimates rounding costs consumers about $6 million a year—roughly a nickel per household. Nostalgia? A few want a roll of the last pennies as souvenirs. But most of the crowd is over it, roasting the “leave a penny” tray like an ancient relic while the U.S. Mint writes its coppery curtain call.
In summary: R.I.P. penny; long live the comments.
Key Points
- •The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia produced the final penny, following President Trump’s directive to end production due to high costs.
- •The penny remains legal tender; final pressed coins will be auctioned, and the last circulating pennies were struck in June.
- •Retailers face challenges from penny removal, with some rounding to the nearest nickel or requesting pennies from customers.
- •Exact-change laws in several states and cities limit rounding, and SNAP rules complicate differential pricing for cash vs. card.
- •A Fed Richmond study estimates rounding will cost consumers about $6 million annually; retailers like Kwik Trip expect added costs.