will pennies become more valuable when they stop making them
They will stop being made, but most pennies will probably not become significantly more valuable; only certain older, rarer, or high‑grade coins are likely to see noticeable price increases over time.
What actually happens when pennies stop
- The U.S. has stopped minting new pennies to save money, but existing pennies stay in circulation and remain legal tender at one cent each.
- There are roughly tens of billions of pennies already out there, so simple scarcity from ending production does not suddenly make common pennies rare or valuable.
Lessons from Canada and other phase‑outs
- When Canada phased out its penny in 2012, most modern pennies stayed worth face value; only scarcer dates and high‑grade pieces saw collector premiums.
- The same pattern is expected in the U.S.: everyday worn Lincoln cents from recent decades are so common that collectors can easily get them, keeping their value at or near one cent.
Which pennies can be worth more
- Older or scarcer types (like wheat cents, key dates, mint errors, and very high‑grade coins) already have collector value and may appreciate further as the series “ends.”
- Special items such as proof sets, mint sets, or notable years (for example, low‑mintage or anniversary designs) can get extra attention once no new pennies are made.
Economic logic vs. “get rich off pennies”
- Basic supply‑and‑demand says that if supply stops, price might rise—but with over 100 billion pennies still circulating, the effective supply for common dates is enormous, so demand from collectors would have to be huge to move prices.
- Financial institutions will continue to accept deposits of pennies at face value, and official guidance emphasizes using or depositing them, not hoarding them as an investment.
So what should you do with your pennies?
- Reasonable moves:
- Pull out obviously older wheat cents, unusual designs, or very shiny high‑grade pieces and set those aside.
- Roll and deposit or spend the vast bulk of modern, worn pennies while they are easy to use.
- Treat common pennies as small change, not a retirement plan: any value boost from the end of production will mostly be sentimental or very slow and tiny for regular coins.
TL;DR: Ending penny production does not automatically turn jars of ordinary pennies into a windfall; only select older, rarer, or pristine coins are likely to become notably more valuable.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.