SPOKANE, Wash. — Your penny jar just became a piece of history. After more than two centuries, the U.S. Mint officially pressed its last penny on Wednesday, but before you rush to the bank to cash in rolls of Lincoln cents, here's what you need to know about what to do with the copper coins cluttering your car console.

The bottom line: Spend them.

"Spend them, use them, trade them. We're probably the last generation that will," said Erika Wolter from Coins Plus in Spokane.

Those pennies aren't going to make you rich, but they're not worthless either. They'll always be worth exactly one cent, and with billions already in circulation, they'll keep jingling in pockets for decades to come.

Each penny cost 3.69 cents to produce, nearly four times its face value. That's like paying $3.69 for

See Full Page