Is the One Cent Really Gone?
With a 1776–2026 cent included in the Semiquincentennial sets, questions linger about whether the penny is truly finished—or quietly evolving into a collector-only issue.
Could there be chinks appearing in the armor? Production of the U.S. 1-cent coin was phased out during 2025, or was it? There was a lot of publicity surrounding the lowly cent and its impending demise last year. A funeral in the form of a small number of special Omega cents being auctioned for some significant money took place; all being conducted during 2025.
Now comes the 2026 semiquincentennial coinage series. The commemorative coinage sets will include a 1776-2026 cent! Officially, these coins are only meant to be minted for coinage sets. Why did we have the Omega cents of 2025 if this wasn’t meant to be the end of the denomination? Why is it necessary to have a 1-cent coin included in the new coin set?
Furthermore, there is still no legislation that officially puts the cent to death. While these 1776-2026 cents in some ways repeat the scenario of proof-only Trade dollars at the end of that series, is the cent really going to be dead, or will collector versions of the denomination continue to appear in future years? Since the cent hasn’t been legislated away, there is also the outside chance that some future cent composed of a less expensive metal might be introduced by some later presidential administration? Why aren’t there any official guidelines or rules regarding rounding to the nearest nickel when buying something using cash?
Lots of questions. Not a lot of answers. It’s all very intriguing. It also adds a lot of spice to collecting. The semiquincentennial coinage of 2026 will be exciting, but this sidebar may add even more to the story.
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