The U.S Mint announced the last batch of pennies will be minted April 1, 2022.

The penny will apparently be discontinued in mid-2022. This is extremely baffling as the penny has been a key part of the American way for centuries. Originally designed by Benjamin Franklin in 1787, the penny was of course made of copper as opposed to the modern equivalent, zinc. The penny also did not feature the famous president, Abraham Lincoln, as this was before his time.

So is it true? Is the penny, which has ingrained itself into our daily lives, going to be phased out sooner than we think? Yes, the penny will sadly be discontinued after 2022. What an unbelievable tragedy. Who has gone a single day without seeing a penny? Pennies can be found nearly anywhere in the U.S, from your couch to a sidewalk. While the choice is obviously logical, the ramifications seem nearly inevitable. The penny obviously only represents one cent, which can obviously be seen as a waste of materials.

Will the nickel become the new penny. Of course with the coin shortage of 2020, every coin has become the least bit obscure. Yet, to outright expel the penny from the market is nearly unbelievable. Julio Alba shared his opinion, “I just think it would be weird if the penny was gone. There are so many of them, it seems impossible to phase them out.” Numerous other countries discontinued their equivalents to the penny long before it even crossed the American government’s mind. 

According to Dakotah Bradbury, “I think eliminating the penny would be confusing, because what if you only have one cent to pay? And it would take a long time to get used to.” For better or worse, the American penny is slowly but surely being eliminated from the world. It may be sad to see the small fellow leave, but it may be for the better that we bid the zinc coin goodbye.