Goodbye Penny ☹

Goodbye, Penny! On November 12, 2025, the US Mint stamped its last penny. They won’t make any more new ones, but there are lots of old ones still around. I wonder, how many can you find in your house?

My Source: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/11/12/penny-discontinued-shortages-us-mint/87214531007/
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​                                                                                                                                      Part 1: The End of the Story: 
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It all started with the Department of Government Efficiency. Think Doge. In January of 2025, they said that 4.5 billion pennies were stamped in 2023, and they cost taxpayers over $179 million. That’s a lot of pennies!

I couldn’t do the math, and Google couldn’t either. So I checked the US Mint’s 2024 Annual Report. They said each penny made in 2024 cost 3.69 cents to make. Ridiculous! To pay four pennies to make one? That’s non-cents! LOL!
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President Donald Trump looked over both reports and then signed an executive order in February 2025. It ordered the US Mint to quit making pennies. They stopped…ten months later. 


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It’s only been a week, but the end of the penny is already affecting businesses like McDonalds. When you use cash, they’ll ask if you could round up to the nearest nickel. Then they don’t need pennies to make change. Why? Thousands of stores can’t get them!

Note—if you use credit cards, no problem. Banks can give you change electronically.
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Some businesses even round down. Losing a few pennies won’t hurt the bottom line in the short term, but over a year it can. Think dollars. Hundreds, even thousands! 


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So what can business do? Ask Congress for help. Businesses have legal issues that are much bigger than mere pennies. Did you know 10 states and some localities already have laws that won’t let business round to the nearest nickel? Ouch!

You’d think government would have addressed this, but you’d be wrong. So what can you do? Use your credit card…it’s an easy button. If you prefer cash, use it. Just round up and be generous to businesses during this time of change. It won’t last forever.

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                                                                                                         Part 2: My Top Ten Quotes

​Have you heard some great lines about pennies? I picked ten famous people who had something to say about them.  
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My Source Link: www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/pennies.html


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​1. "One penny may seem to you a very insignificant thing,
​but it is the small seed from which fortunes spring."

By Orison Swett Marden (1848-1924)
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American inspiration author & founder of Success magazine



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2. "A penny saved is a penny earned."
And 
"Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."

By Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

American writer, scientist, inventor, statesman,
diplomat, printer, and publisher

PS... J. Paul Getty, founder of the Getty Oil Company, said something similar…
"If you look after the pennies, the dollars will look after themselves." 


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​3. "Human beings have the remarkable ability to turn
nothing into something. They can turn weeds into
gardens and pennies into fortunes."

 By Jim Rohn (1930-2009)
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American entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker

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4. "Be careful who you call your friends. I’d rather have
four quarters than one hundred pennies."

By Al Capone (1899-1947)

American gangster and businessman



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5. "Few people know so clearly what they want. Most people
can't even think what to hope for when they throw a penny in a fountain."

By Barbara Kingsolver (1955)

Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, essayist, and poet



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6. "Pennies do not come from heaven.
They have to be earned here on earth."

By Margaret Thatcher (1925-2013)

British stateswoman, leader of the Conservative Party,
​and Prime Minister

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7. "When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts,
and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?"

By George Carlin (1937-2008)

American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor, and author



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8. "If teardrops were pennies and heartaches were gold,
I'd have all the treasures my pockets could hold."

By Dolly Parton (1946)

American singer, songwriter, actress,
​philanthropist, and businesswoman

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9. "Every time I see a coin on the street, I stop, pick it up,
put it into my pocket, and say out loud "Thank you, God,
for this symbol of abundance that keeps flowing into
my life" Never once have I asked, "Why only a penny, God?
You know I need a lot more than that.""

By Wayne Dyer (1940-2015)
American self-help author and motivational speaker



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​10. "Whatever your dream is, every extra penny
you have needs to be going to that."

By Will Smith (1968)

American actor, rapper, and film producer




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                                                      Part 3: My Top Ten Songs
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​Can you think of any song titles with pennies? I picked the top ten from an online source.
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​​My Source Link: https://www.ranker.com/list/the- best-songs-about-pennys/reference


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​1. “Penny Lane,” was recorded by the Beatles, a 1960s English band from Liverpool. Think John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
 
It was released in February 1967. “Penny Lane” became a top five hit in Europe, and it reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100.


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2. “Penny Arcade” was sung by Roy Orbison, a famous American singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
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Orbison recorded “Penny Arcade” in 1969. He took it to #1 in Australia and New Zealand, to the Top 30 in the UK, and to #133 in the US. 


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​3. “A Penny for Your Thoughts” was recorded by Willie Nelson, an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and activist.

He released it in February of 1976. 

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4. “Penny Lover” was sung by Lionel Richie, an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and TV personality.

​It was the fifth and final release from Ritchie’s 1983 multi-platinum album, Can’t Slow Down. “Penny Lover” was also a top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. It hung out at #8 for two weeks in December 1984.



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5. “Druscilla Penny” was recorded by the Carpenters, an American brother and sister duo

Karen and Richard released it on their 1971 album, Carpenters. It’s the seventh track on the album. 




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​6. “Throw a Penny” was performed by the Bee Gees, a trio of brothers. Their first names, Barry, Robbin, and Maurice.
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You’ll find “Throw a Penny” on their 1974 album, Mr. Natural. 

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7. “Penny” was recorded by Night Ranger, an American rock band from San Francisco, California.

They released it on November 1, 1982. It was the ninth track on their album, Dawn Patrol. 



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8. “Pretty Penny” was recorded by Stone Temple Pilots, an American rock band from San Diego, California.

It came from their 1994 album Purple, but it was released as a 1995 promo single. 

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​9. “Penny Hardaway” was recorded by Ghostface Killah and the Cool Kids.
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They released it on their album When Fish Ride Bicycles back on July 12, 2011. 


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10. “The Penny Arcade in California” was recorded by the Neutral Milk Hotel.

It came from their 1998 album, The Aeroplane Over the Sea. Would you believe they actually renamed the song when they were touring?

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