KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The final penny was minted on Wednesday in Philadelphia after over 230 years in circulation. The United States Mint said in its annual report that each penny costs 3.69 cents to make, almost three cents more than the coins value.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump announced his intention to stop penny production. As of yesterday, you could say we are a penny short.

"The very nature of currency is evolving," Don Bruce, a University of Tennessee economics professor, said. "If you look at the history of currency and the history of coins, these things have been evolving for hundreds of years, and there's no reason to expect that to stop just because we like a particular coin."

Bruce said he thinks the nickel is up next. Not only that, he predicts a slight spike in

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