Americans For Common Cents
Charity
Charities thrive on pennies. While some question the value of the penny, collectively the penny is powerful and aids charities in raising hundreds of millions of dollars for important causes — yes, one cent at a time.
Economy
Consumers benefit with a low denomination coin. Moreover, faith in the strength of the economy and the nation is tied to perceptions about the currency system, and public acceptance is an important criterion for evaluating currency and coinage changes.
Polling
An overwhelming number of Americans want to keep the penny. National polling over the last 25 years by Gallup, AP, Coinstar and other organizations show that between two-thirds and three-quarters of Americans want to keep the penny.
Penny News
U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3074, the bipartisan Common Cents Act, legislation that modernizes the nation’s coinage system by formally suspending production of the penny while taking critical steps to preserve the future of cash transactions through a lower-cost five-cent coin.
The legislation maintains the penny as legal tender, allowing Americans to continue using existing pennies in everyday commerce. It also gives merchants the option to round the final total of cash transactions to the nearest nickel, while preserving exact pricing for electronic payments. Read more here.
The Treasury Department releases a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to both businesses and consumers that provide important information related to penny production cessation.
The FAQs state, “Retailers should continue accepting pennies and providing penny change for cash transactions” and “businesses may round the final amount of a cash transaction to the nearest five-cent increment” when penny change isn’t available. See: https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/penny-production-cessation-faqs
Letter from Rep. Waters and Sen. Warren to Treasury Dept, Mint and Federal Reserve
House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) send a letter to the Treasury Department, the Mint, and the Federal Reserve regarding insufficient information that the government had provided to the public about the impacts of penny production cessation.https://www.banking.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/warren_waters_letter_to_treasury_mint_fed_re_penny.pdf and here https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/minority/ranking-members-elizabeth-warren-and-maxine-waters-urge-federal-agencies-to-provide-immediate-guidance-to-address-the-national-penny-shortage-caused-by-the-trump-administrations-abrupt-end-to-penny-production
U.S. Mint Strikes Final Circulating Penny, Ending 232-Year Run
November 12 — The United States Mint hosted a ceremonial strike at its Philadelphia Mint, where Brandon Beach, Treasurer of the United States, struck the final circulating one-cent coin. The event marked the official end of the penny’s 232-year production run as a circulating coin. In February 2025, Donald Trump directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Read more about U.S. Mint Strikes Final Circulating Penny, Ending 232-Year Run[…]
Ceremonial Strike at US Mint Philadelphia
The United States Mint hosted a ceremonial strike at its Philadelphia Mint, where Brandon Beach, Treasurer of the United States, struck the final circulating one-cent coin. The event marked the official end of the penny’s 232-year production run as a circulating coin.https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/united-states-mint-hosts-historic-ceremonial-strike-for-final-production-of-the-circulating-one-cent-coin
Penny Shortage Creating Business Uncertainty
The current penny shortage and lack of guidance from the federal government have left retailers and other cash-accepting businesses uncertain on how to handle cash transactions where pennies are unavailable. The National Retail Federation (NRF) and National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) as part of a coalition of trade associations representing thousands of businesses across Read more about Penny Shortage Creating Business Uncertainty[…]
The US Penny – Rethinking US Coin Strategy
Why a Smart Review Won’t Cost Taxpayers More or Harm the Economy A January 21, 2025, DOGE post claimed that the penny cost taxpayers $179 million in FY 2023. While this claim is not accurate per US Mint annual reports, DOGE is right to consider ways to improve the cost and efficiency of US currency. Read more about The US Penny – Rethinking US Coin Strategy[…]
Trump orders end to “wasteful” production of the penny
Pennies cost more to make than they are worth, and often accumulate unused. But would eliminating them cause prices to get rounded up?
Trump Plan to Kill Penny Comes With Twist: It May Not Save Much
By Steven T. Dennis / February 10, 2025 04:49PM ET / Bloomberg Government President Donald Trump’s order Sunday night to stop minting billions of pennies annually potentially comes with some unexpected costs. The penny, a staple of US currency since since 1793, costs more than 3 cents to make, costing the government a net loss of $85 million, per the Read more about Trump Plan to Kill Penny Comes With Twist: It May Not Save Much[…]
The Government Won’t Save Money by Eliminating the Penny — Here’s Why
The Mint Actually Loses Money Without the One-Cent Coin Eliminating the penny won’t save the government money. In fact, such a move would have a significant negative impact on the U.S. Mint’s cost structure. Many overhead expenses at the Mint would remain and would need to be absorbed by other coins, increasing their per-unit costs. Read more about The Government Won’t Save Money by Eliminating the Penny — Here’s Why[…]