By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
As the year comes to a close and thoughts turn to those lost in 2025, some local residents reflected on the end of penny production in the U.S.
While some folks are saying good riddance to pricey pennies, others are mourning the loss of the lucky coins.
With many pennies still in circulation, the full impact is not being seen at stores. But it’s only a matter of time before change is coming in how we make change. Signs are starting to pop up at some retailers explaining their shortage of pennies and asking customers for the correct change if they have it.
The end to penny production will likely render some adages obsolete. Savers will have to pinch nickels rather than pennies. Offering a “penny for your thoughts” will seem cheap. Saying something is “worth every penny” won’t carry much weight anymore. And “every penny counts” will not ring true. Before long, there will no longer be “pretty pennies,” only old ones.
Back in February, President Donald Trump ordered the U.S. Treasury Department to stop minting pennies since they cost more to make than they are worth. The U.S. Mint said in its annual report that it costs 3.69 cents to make each penny.
Some stores have begun running short on pennies, and have started rounding cash transactions up or down to the nearest five cents.
So far, the Walmart store in Bowling Green has not found itself in a pinch for pennies, according to assistant store manager Gina V. (company policy will not allow employees to give full names).
“It has not affected us – yet,” she said. But the store has been informed by corporate leaders that once the shortage hits, stores are to round down in favor of customers.
“We’ve got our marching orders,” Gina said. The impact nationwide could be sizable, but less than in the past since a large percentage of Walmart customers now pay with credit and debit cards, she added.
The challenges go beyond individual cash transactions. Retailers need to assess how the currency changes may affect their point-of-sale systems and sales tax calculation, collection and reporting.
But beyond business concerns, some people just like pennies.
“They’re a good luck charm,” especially if it’s a penny minted the year you were born, said Lynn Somogye, of Whitehouse.
Somogye said she is glad Abraham Lincoln’s image also appears on $5 bills – so people won’t forget him once pennies run dry.
“I like pennies,” said Jennifer Perry, of Perrysburg. “I’ll probably keep all that I have.”
But not everyone shares that fondness for the 1 cent coin.
Kelly Riggs, of Bowling Green, said he’s happy they are no longer being produced.
“They just take up space in your pocket,” he said.
When Riggs, age 72, was a child, pennies served a purpose. “Back when I was younger, you could buy candy with them.”
Those days are gone. “I won’t miss them,” he said.
But to some, a change purse without pennies will just not feel complete.
“I like paying with the correct cents,” said Michele Raine. How all purchases will end in 5-cent increments in the future seems strange, she said. “It kind of boggles of the mind.”
Raine has long held an affinity for pennies – shiny and dull. As a child, when her parents opened an account in her name at the F&M Bank in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Raine was given a piggy bank and she began stowing away coins.
“I do have a fondness for pennies. I never leave a lucky penny on the ground,” Raine said. “I like to look at the years on the pennies and see how old they are.”
And yes, she still has that piggy bank, brimming with pennies.
“Yes, I’m that person,” she said with a smile.
