As of 2025, the cost to produce a U.S. 1-cent coin (penny) was reported to be approximately 4 cents, exceeding the coin's 1-cent face value.
November 12, 2025
high
temporal
Per-unit production cost compared to face value.
As of 2025, reported per-coin production costs for other U.S. coins were roughly: nickel about 14 cents, dime less than 6 cents, and quarter nearly 15 cents.
November 12, 2025
high
temporal
Comparative production costs for common U.S. circulating coins.
As of 2025, about half of the coins produced at the U.S. Mints in Philadelphia and Denver over the preceding century were 1-cent coins (pennies).
November 12, 2025
high
temporal
Share of penny production relative to total coin output at two major U.S. mints over a ~100-year period.
As of 2025, reported production costs per common U.S. circulating coin were approximately: one-cent coin about 4 cents; nickel nearly 14 cents; dime less than 6 cents; quarter nearly 15 cents.
November 12, 2025
high
statistical
Comparative production cost-to-face-value ratios for common U.S. coins.
Collectors and historians consider U.S. pennies to be an important record of society, with designs and inscriptions that reflect politics, art, and cultural values and that can be traced back for more than 200 years.
November 12, 2025
high
descriptive
Cultural and historical significance of coin designs.
The U.S. Mint in Philadelphia has produced 1-cent coins (pennies) since 1793, one year after Congress passed the Coinage Act.
January 01, 1793
high
temporal
Historical origin of penny production at the Philadelphia facility.