Is the One Cent Truly Gone?
The Lincoln penny may have disappeared from circulation, but its appearance in 2026 Mint products raises questions about whether the denomination is truly gone.
In 2025, President Donald J. Trump ordered the U.S. Mint to stop producing its expensive-to-produce 1-cent coins. At the time, it was costing 3.69 cents to stamp out a “penny.” It has since been projected that the government will save about $56 million annually by this move. The cent was ceremoniously put to rest; special limited-edition 1-cent coins composed of various metals were produced, on which an omega privy mark had been added to emphasize the finality of the decision. These omega cents sold for hefty markups, from which the government profited.
So, why do we now have 2026-dated Lincoln cents? They haven’t been struck for circulation…so far, but they are available in the 20-coin 2026 Uncirculated Coin and in the 2026 Semiquincentennial Proof sets. As the Kiplinger newsletter put it, “Its comeback like Pluto's status as a dwarf planet.”
Both the bipartisan Common Cents Act (HR 3074/S 1525) and the Makes Sense No Cents Act are moving slowly through Congress; however, at the time this commentary is being written, there has been no legislation formally ending production of our “dwarf” coin denomination permanently. It’s become obvious that an executive order from the president has no staying power, or we wouldn’t have 2026 cents. And, who knows if there will be cents from some of these sets that eventually find their way into circulation, that there won’t be some “back door” cent production, or if some foreign or private mint will find it worthwhile to make counterfeits with profit potential in mind. Proof versions of Trade dollars were made for collector consumption at the end of that series. Perhaps we’re seeing a similar scenario for the cent.
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