A Child's Treasure: One Cent
In 1926 the penny was a child's pocket money — a coin worth agonizing over at the candy-store window. Ninety-nine years later, America stopped making it.
In 1926, children's pockets held copper coins with Abraham Lincoln's face — the Lincoln cent, minted since 1909. One cent bought a few hard candies or licorice pieces. Americans simply called them "penny candy."
A 1926 penny is worth about 19 cents in today's money. To a child it was no small sum, which is why children pressed their noses to the glass and chose very, very carefully.
The last coin
Over the years a penny bought less and less, until it cost nearly 4 cents to make one. On November 12, 2025, the last circulating penny was struck at the Philadelphia Mint, ending production that began in 1793. The Treasury said the move would save taxpayers $56 million.
The life of the penny
- First U.S. cent: 1793
- Lincoln cent: since 1909
- 1926 cent in today's money: about 19¢
- Last circulating penny struck: November 12, 2025
- Existing pennies: still legal tender
The billions of pennies already out there are still money. Some stores now round change down in the customer's favor; others have offered prizes for jars of pennies.
Sources
- AP / Washington Times: Final pennies pressed as production ends after 230 years (Nov. 12, 2025; nearly 4¢ to make; $56 million saved)
- Library of Congress: Janes candy store (about 1920)
Dollar conversions use the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U (1926 annual average 17.7; September 2026: 336.94), a factor of about 19.
