The Last Penny Minted: What be the value?

[MiddenMonster]

Just off the top of my head I'd think the last penny ever minted would be worth quite a lot. On the other hand, it might have popped out of the machine and landed in a bin with thousands of other pennies, lost to history forever. So, what are the chances that it was isolated and preserved, and if so, what is it worth?

 

[UnderMiner]

1 cent, since there would be no way to distinguish it from the last millon pennies produced before it, unless a mint worker labeled it, in which case it would simply be in a government museum, and like the 1974 Aluminum Penny, government property, have no numismatic value at all as it would be illegal to sell, it would simply be government property.

 

[BigWaveDave]

I read the last two we’re ceremoniously minted by the head of the mint, to be auctioned off to the highest bidders

 

[MiddenMonster]

have no numismatic value at all as it would be illegal to sell, it would simply be government property.

I read the last two we’re ceremoniously minted by the head of the mint, to be auctioned off to the highest bidders

I figured it would be one or the other. It would be interesting to see what both of them would bring at auction. Imagine if the last penny minted ended up in the collection of the person who owns the first penny minted.

 

[Red-Coat]

The last five pennies minted carry a unique ‘omega’ mark to distinguish them and will be auctioned at some time in the future, rather than put into circulation. The Treasury Department hasn’t yet released any details about the auction or its timing.

John Feigenbaum, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), estimates the coins could be worth between $2 million and $5 million each. Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, was more conservative about their value. "We believe the final penny struck could bring up to one million dollars at auction. The second and third final pressing could bring $10,000 and $20,000 each" he said.

 

[robertk]

John Feigenbaum, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), estimates the coins could be worth between $2 million and $5 million each. Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, was more conservative about their value. "We believe the final penny struck could bring up to one million dollars at auction. The second and third final pressing could bring $10,000 and $20,000 each" he said.

Just think what they'd be worth if he didn't have his oily fingers all over them.

 

[MiddenMonster]

John Feigenbaum, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), estimates the coins could be worth between $2 million and $5 million each.

Well, I'm out then...

Just think what they'd be worth if he didn't have his oily fingers all over them.

I was thinking the same thing,. And that penny he's holding actually looks kind of ragged to me for something that supposedly just fell off the turnip truck.

 

[Ed144]

I have a few roles of uncirculated 1974's. I guess I'll break them out when I start running out of pennies.

 

[Mackaydon]

The Mint could receive millions more if they numbered and auctioned off (say) the last 1,000 cents.
But then.....how many entrepreneurial-minded folks work at the Mint? Another opportunity lost.
Don in SoCal

 

[MiddenMonster]

The Mint could receive millions more if they numbered and auctioned off (say) the last 1,000 cents.

Definitely logic to that. But wouldn't the value of each reserve penny be reduced the more pennies there are? After all, a limited edition lithograph numbered 10/100 is worth a lot more than one numbered 100/1000. Just me, but I would also think that the absolute, very last penny to drop would be held on to by the government to put in a museum. That, or they mint the absolute, very last penny out of gold, and then just let it slip into the batch before being released to the public. Now that would start a rumble!!!

 

[cudamark]

I wonder if they used a brand new die for those last few cents, or, are they just from the same worn out ones they used for all the others this year? I would think that they would have produced some special proof versions and put them up for sale, not just the ones in the standard proof sets.

 

[cudamark]

Another interesting thing is that the media reports that after 232 years, the "penny" is done. Well, first of all, the cent wasn't produced in every single year over that span, (there are no 1815 cents for instance) and in some years, they made two different versions (1856 and 1857). Also, there's always the possibility that the cent could be produced again anytime in the future, should the need arise, or, we just decide we want them again. How about the next time, we make them out of something we can discriminate out?

 

[ArfieBoy]

Another interesting thing is that the media reports that after 232 years, the "penny" is done. Well, first of all, the cent wasn't produced in every single year over that span, (there are no 1815 cents for instance) and in some years, they made two different versions (1856 and 1857). Also, there's always the possibility that the cent could be produced again anytime in the future, should the need arise, or, we just decide we want them again. How about the next time, we make them out of something we can discriminate out?

They made two different version in 1982, also. They made copper pennies for the first half of the year and then switched to the dreaded "Zincolns" from then on!

 

[Tesorodeoro]

Has to be worth more than the embarrassing garbage they have been passing off as American currency.

 

[Tesorodeoro]

The last five pennies minted carry a unique ‘omega’ mark to distinguish them and will be auctioned at some time in the future, rather than put into circulation. The Treasury Department hasn’t yet released any details about the auction or its timing.

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John Feigenbaum, executive director of the Professional Numismatists Guild (PNG), estimates the coins could be worth between $2 million and $5 million each. Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, was more conservative about their value. "We believe the final penny struck could bring up to one million dollars at auction. The second and third final pressing could bring $10,000 and $20,000 each" he said.

I hope their value ends up being a reflection on the US spending and regulation policy that made pennies a negative asset. Inflation isn’t accidental, it’s a byproduct of political greed and selfish policies. The negative impact on millions of citizens (and the rest of the world) in no way equals the person wealth gain politicians saw over a near lifetime of grift. Tell me it’s not true? Lost treasure measured in staggering amounts.

What does 21% of all of the dollars in existence amount to in gold bars? It’s unimaginable and only occurred over the period of a half decade!

 

[MiddenMonster]

I wonder if they used a brand new die for those last few cents, or, are they just from the same worn out ones they used for all the others this year?

Well, they had to get the omega mark stamped in somehow. So they either would have had to use a special die to do it, or stamp it in after the fact. I didn't notice anything noteworthy about that omega mark, which got me wondering how soon after the auctions will we read about people getting ripped off buying a forged Final Penny. It really doesn't look like it would be that hard to do, and in the computer age a certificate of authenticity is just a Ctrl-P away. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so honest. I'd have a few rolls of 2025 pennies on hand, just in case...

 

[cudamark]

Well, they had to get the omega mark stamped in somehow. So they either would have had to use a special die to do it, or stamp it in after the fact. I didn't notice anything noteworthy about that omega mark, which got me wondering how soon after the auctions will we read about people getting ripped off buying a forged Final Penny. It really doesn't look like it would be that hard to do, and in the computer age a certificate of authenticity is just a Ctrl-P away. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so honest. I'd have a few rolls of 2025 pennies on hand, just in case...

If it was done by stamping the die, it will be a raised mark, which would be a lot harder to fake.

 

[Red-Coat]

If it was done by stamping the die, it will be a raised mark, which would be a lot harder to fake.

It is a raised mark on the coin, engraved into the die... underneath the word 'LIBERTY':