The last penny struck for circulation in the United States is worth much more than face value — and probably a lot more than you would imagine!
Though, it’s not a huge surprise for many that the last 2025 pennies are worth more than their face value.
Millions of people have collected pennies, or one cent coins, since the United States Mint first struck them in mass quantities for circulation in 1793.
In 2025, the United States government announced it would stop making pennies for circulation because it was costing almost 4 cents each to strike each one.
The last pennies struck for circulation carry a small omega (Ω) privy mark, symbolizing they are the “last” pennies.
A total of 696 of the last 2025 pennies have the special omega privy mark.
These include:
- 232 from the Philadelphia Mint and struck in copper-plated zinc
- 232 from the Denver Mint in copper-plated zinc
- 232 from the Philadelphia Mint in .999-fine, 24-karat gold
That’s right — gold!
There are 2025 gold pennies, and they’re worth thousands of dollars.
Oh, and the reason behind the number 232?…
That’s the number of years the United States Mint struck pennies — since the “alpha” pennies in 1793.
2025 Last U.S. Penny Struck Value
But about those last 2025 gold omega pennies worth big bucks… The last penny struck value is higher than most other valuable pennies worth money.
In fact, the very last pennies struck were certified by Professional Coin Grading Service and sold in 3-coin Set #232.
This 3-coin set was offered by Stack’s Bowers Galleries, which hammered at auction for an astounding $800,000 on December 11, 2025. As a unit, this set became one of the most valuable modern coin items ever sold!
Because the last 2025 gold omega penny was sold as part of a 3-coin set, its value wasn’t immediately clear. However, it’s not unreasonable to estimate the value of the gold last penny struck to be somewhere in the range of $250,000 to $350,000 — though its value could be higher if the coin is offered for sale individually.
The value of the very last copper-plated zinc 2025 omega pennies is likely similar to the value of the last gold omega penny struck.
Remember, with a coin as rare and valuable as the very last 24-karat gold omega penny, the value isn’t so much in that coin’s gold content but its importance as a collectible. It’s reasonable to estimate the individual value of the very last Philadelphia and Denver 2025 omega pennies somewhere in the range of $250,000 to $350,000 apiece — and possibly more.
An important note to add about the very last pennies struck is that they were sold in an auction lot that included the canceled dies that produced the omega pennies. These 6 dies (3 obverse and 3 obverse, representing the 3 issues) added significant value to the overall auction lot. This likely influenced a notably higher final bid price than the 3 very last pennies might have garnered on their own.
How Much Are Other 2025 Omega Pennies Worth?
The other 3-coin omega penny sets sold for as little as $48,000.
However, most sold for prices between $50,000 and $200,000 each.
This would suggest that the value of the other 2025 omega pennies is likely somewhere in the range of $15,000 to $20,000 each and up for examples in lower Mint State grades.
Values go up from there — depending on the grade of the individual coins and whether they were among the very first or very last of the 232-coin mintage for each issue.
Do You Need The 2025 Omega Pennies To Complete A Set Of Lincoln Cents?
This is a question many Lincoln penny collectors have been asking…
What makes answering this question so complex is that, technically, the Philadelphia, Denver, and Philadelphia gold omega pennies were produced as circulation strikes. And that’s the case even though none were released into circulation, nor are any likely to ever be spent as money. So, your chances of landing a 2025 omega penny in circulation or pocket change are virtually zero.
Still, the coins count as regular issues, and purist Lincoln penny connoisseurs will be chasing these coins for many years to come. This helps explain part of the reason why these coins scored 5- and 6-figure hammer bids at auction. So many people want them!
At the end of the day, the 2025 omega pennies will go down as being the Lincoln cents with the lowest known mintage. With only 232 minted apiece, the 3 different kinds of 2025 omega pennies are many times rarer than the 1909-S VDB penny, which had a mintage of 484,000.
Ultimately, only as many as 232 people will ever be able to have a Lincoln cent collection that also contains all 3 of the different omega pennies. This means that most Lincoln penny collectors will have to suffice without the 2025 omega pennies in their collections.
The only widely available 2025 pennies that most collectors have a chance of purchasing include:
- 2025 penny from the Philadelphia Mint with NO mintmark and NO omega privy mark
- 2025-D penny from the Denver Mint with NO omega privy mark
- 2025-S proof penny from the San Francisco Mint with NO omega privy mark
It’s therefore “acceptable” for the majority of Lincoln cent collectors to consider their collections “complete” without the 2025 omega pennies. They could, however, purchase at least one example each of the regular-issue 2025 Lincoln pennies that could be readily found in circulation or ordered in standard United States Mint coin sets, including the 2025 uncirculated and proof sets.
The Very Last U.S. Penny?
There is one final, very important note to remember about the buzz surrounding the last pennies struck in 2025…
These are NOT going to be the last pennies ever struck by the United States Mint.
Here’s why:
- The Mint made 2026 Lincoln pennies for sale to collectors via the 2026 Semiquincentennial coin sets honoring the nation’s 250th anniversary.
- What’s more, Congress never abolished the penny — it was only that the Treasurer didn’t order more pennies for circulation after 2025. This means that, in theory, future Treasury officials could reissue the penny for circulation if they feel the need arises for more of these coins to fulfill the nation’s economic needs.
The Bottom Line
All 2025 pennies made after November 12, 2025 for collectors feature the omega (Ω) symbol as a special mark signifying the end of penny production, with only 232 special sets released.
Regular pennies made before that date in 2025 have the standard design without the omega — but their exact quantity isn’t specified because production stopped abruptly for general circulation.
Therefore, most 2025 pennies do not have the Omega symbol and thousands in circulation have only the normal design.
