Learn › Collecting

Will pennies become valuable now that they stop making them?

4 min read · Updated Oct 9, 2026

Will pennies become valuable? Only some of them

Value depends mainly on rarity and condition. Stopping production does not change either one for the coins already made. Most pennies were struck in very large numbers, so most stay common. Rare dates are different. The 1909-S VDB 1909-S V.D.B. is a well-known example, and Wikipedia describes it as the rarest Lincoln cent by date and mint mark.

What makes a penny worth a closer look?

Check the date, the mint mark, any error and the condition, in that order. A few dates are scarce, and the 1909-S VDB is one of them. Mint marks can matter too: Philadelphia cents carried a P mark in 2017. Compare your date and mark with the key dates guide.

Errors can be scarce, but a variety is not automatically valuable. About 1.58 billion 1960-D cents were struck across its small-date and large-date varieties.

Condition matters as well. Worn or faint strikes change how a coin looks, so compare yours with a clear example before deciding it is special.

Will pennies become more valuable when they stop making them?

For most coins, no. The Mint has stopped making pennies for circulation, but the roughly 114 billion that exist are still legal money. The number already made is fixed, so the end of production changes the future supply, not the supply that exists. Treasury says the Federal Reserve will keep recirculating them for as long as possible.

Are pennies worth more now?

Not because of the end of production alone. The final circulating cents from Philadelphia and Denver carry an Omega privy mark 2025 Omega privy mark (final strike), and the Mint sold them in sets. If you think you have one, check its mark and where it came from before assuming it is special. A normal 2025 penny 2025 has a catalogue estimate of 1¢ at G4.

Copper pennies and melting

Older cents were bronze, a copper alloy. Bronze cents made from 1909 to 1982 weigh 3.11 grams. The cent made since October 1982 is copper-plated zinc, weighs 2.5 grams and is only 2.5% copper. Federal regulations criminalize melting pennies, so melting old cents for their metal is not a lawful way to profit.

Should I save pennies?

Save the ones that look unusual: older dates, notable mint marks, errors, or coins in very good condition. Spend the rest. Treasury encourages people to spend the pennies they already have. Before you clean or sell anything, read the guide on handling coins. If a coin still looks special after that, get a second opinion from a professional grading service before you sell it.

Penny Value is an Android app for now, so it isn't on the App Store. The values and checks on this page are free to use.Penny Value is an Android app. Open this page on your Android phone to check your own penny with a photo.

Coins in this guide

• 1909-S V.D.B.

  San Francisco · 484,000 made

  Key date

  $750worn

  $2,000MS-60
• 1943 Steel

  Philadelphia · 684.6 million made

  7.5¢worn

  $2.00MS-60
• 2025

  Philadelphia · Included in the 655,200,000 2025 total; not counted separately.

  1¢worn
• 2025 Omega privy mark (final strike)

  Philadelphia · 232 made

  Collector issue

  Rarely sold

Related guides

• Lincoln penny key dates: the short list worth knowing
• Don't clean that penny: handling and storing coins

Sources

1. U.S. Department of the Treasury, “Penny Production Cessation FAQs” (accessed 2026-10-09)
2. Wikipedia, “Lincoln cent” (accessed 2026-10-09)
3. Wikipedia, “Penny (United States coin)” (accessed 2026-10-09)
4. Wikipedia, “Lincoln cent mintage figures” (accessed 2026-10-09)