They cost nearly 270% more to make than what they’re worth — but we’re only talking pocket change.Pennies, a coin purse staple since their production began in 1793, have become one of the latest targets of President Donald Trump’s second administration.On Sunday, in a Truth Social post, the president said he had asked his secretary of the treasury to stop the production of new pennies. “Let’s rip the waste out of our great nation’s budget, even if it’s a penny at a time,” Trump said in the post.It remains unclear whether Trump alone has the authority to halt penny production. The U.S. Congress oversees the U.S. Mint, which is responsible for coin production. The penny, whose face value is a modest 1 cent, cost about 3.7 cents to make last year.They aren’t the only expensive coin. Nickels cost about 13.8 cents to make in 2024, despite them being valued at …
