PHILADELPHIA —

The American penny will pass away Wednesday after a prolonged illness. It was 238 years old.

The last penny will be minted Wednesday afternoon at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, overseen by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Treasurer Brandon Beach . President Donald Trump announced via social media in February that he instructed the Mint to stop making the once-popular coin , citing the cost of production.

The penny costs nearly four cents to mint, more than the coin’s worth. Once valuable enough to buy “penny candy” like gumballs and feed parking meters or toll booths, today the penny lives mostly in coin jars, junk drawers or “leave a penny/take a penny” trays.

The penny outlived its sibling, the half-penny, by 168 years. It’s survived by the nickel, dime, quarte

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