Slate Daily Feed What Next | Who Killed the Penny? She Did.
Nov 20, 2025
Caity Weaver, a writer at The Atlantic notable for her insights on the penny, dives into the ongoing debate about discontinuing the one-cent coin. She discusses how pennies have become more of a nuisance than a necessity, often gathering dust instead of circulation. Weaver also reveals a legal loophole allowing the Treasury to halt minting without Congress. With lessons from Canada on phasing out coins, she prompts a reevaluation of longtime traditions and questions whether the penny still holds value in our economy.
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Writer Jokes She Killed The Penny
- Caity Weaver jokes she might have "killed the penny" after writing against it.
- She admits she still picks up pennies but doesn't actually need them.
Perpetual Penny Paradox
- The U.S. Mint produced billions of pennies that mostly left circulation and sat unused in jars.
- Caity Weaver calls this the "perpetual penny paradox" explaining why production kept rising despite low usage.
Pennies Lose Money For The Mint
- Pennies cost more to make than their face value, with production costing about 3.69 cents apiece.
- Weaver found the cost inefficiency especially infuriating given the coin's practical worthlessness.