Overview
- Treasurer Brandon Beach struck the last circulating cent in Philadelphia during a ceremonial run that ends routine penny production.
- The final two pieces bear a special omega mark and will be auctioned, while all existing pennies remain legal tender.
- Retailers and banks report localized shortages, posting exact‑change requests or informally rounding cash totals without federal implementation guidance.
- Congress is weighing the Common Cents Act to formalize nearest‑nickel rounding for cash transactions.
- An estimated 250 to 300 billion pennies remain in circulation as the Mint continues limited collector issues and the Federal Reserve scales back penny handling at coin terminals.