Take a penny, leave a penny, get rid of the penny
Take a penny, leave a penny, get rid of the penny  
Podcast: The Indicator from Planet Money
Published On: Mon Dec 08 2025
Description: In November, the U.S. stopped production of the humble penny after 232 years in circulation. On today’s show, a former U.S. Mint director shares the fiscal math that doomed the penny, and an artist pay tribute to this American icon. View more of Robert Wechsler’s artwork here. Related episodes: What’s the deal with the platinum coin?  For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Corey Bridges. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy