USA say goodbye: one-cent coin flies out after 230 years!

USA say goodbye: one-cent coin flies out after 230 years!

The US government has decided to stop the production of the one-cent coin, also known as Penny, after over 230 years. This was announced on Thursday by the Ministry of Finance in Washington. The last order for the blanks of the one-cent coin was abandoned this month, and from the beginning of 2026 no new pennies will no longer be in circulation. This decision has been supported by both political parties and is based on the increased increased manufacturing costs, which have risen from 1.3 cents per coin to 3.69 cents in the past ten years. The abolition of the penny will generate savings of around $ 56 million per year (around 49.47 million euros), which should be of considerable advantage for use in cash traffic.

President Donald Trump had instructed finance Minister Scott Bessent in February 2025 to end the production of the one-cent coin. With the abolition, the need for two-cent coins will also be omitted that do not exist in the US currency. In the future, the total amount for the next five cent value, i.e. the value of the five-cent coin or "nickel", will be rounded or rounded up.

historical context and international perspective

The one-cent coin was first issued in 1793 and has shown President Abraham Lincoln since 1909. In the euro zone, the one-cent coin is also controversial, with some countries like Finland actually abolished them. Interestingly, in March 2025, the national cash forum in Germany proposed a similar measure to round off the next five euro cent for cash payments. This forum was founded in 2024 and includes several associations of the credit industry, retail as well as consumer protection and the machine operator.

economic effects and regional differences

The economic focus in the USA is distributed differently regionally. Traffic routes such as railway lines and long -distance streets play a crucial role in economic development. The middle west is known, for example, for the cultivation of corn and soybeans, while the southern states are establishing themselves as industrial regions, especially Atlanta and the southern appales with a strong textile industry. The United States is considered the largest exporter in the World Agricultural Trade and exported $ 171 billion agricultural products in 2023.

The upcoming abolition of the one-cent coin could also be seen as part of a larger trend within the American economy, which are increasingly moving away from traditional currency forms. The structural change that some industries made was increased by globalization, which forced many companies to adapt their services and products to remain competitive.

With this decision, another chapter in US money history is concluded, which could have a direct impact on the cash payments and the economic landscape in the country. The future development of currency use and the reactions from the population are likely to be put to the test, while the government sets the course for a new era with regard to the rationalized production costs.