U.S. Mint Halts Penny Production to Stop Antisemitic Coin Attacks

The U.S. Mint announced earlier this week that it will cease production of the penny, citing an alarming surge in hate crimes where the one-cent coin has become the weapon of choice in attacks on Jewish Americans.

Officials described the assaults as a disturbing trend, with perpetrators hurling handfuls of the copper-plated coins at victims while shouting slurs.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen addressed reporters outside the Mint’s Philadelphia facility, where workers were already dismantling penny presses.

“We can no longer tolerate a currency that enables bigotry,” she said. “The penny has been weaponized, and its continued circulation poses an unacceptable risk to vulnerable communities.”

The decision follows a year in which the FBI recorded over 400 incidents involving pennies, a sharp increase from previous years when such attacks were virtually unheard of.

Law enforcement sources confirmed that the coins are often collected in bulk from banks or coin-sorting machines before being deployed in coordinated strikes, sometimes involving multiple assailants.

A spokesperson for the Anti-Defamation League praised the move as a bold step forward.

“Symbols matter, and the penny has become a symbol of hate,” the spokesperson said. “Eliminating it from circulation sends a clear message that this kind of targeted violence will not be tolerated.”

The Mint plans to melt down existing penny stockpiles and redirect the zinc and copper to other denominations. Retailers have been instructed to round cash transactions to the nearest nickel, a practice already common in military bases and some national parks.

One assailant, arrested last month after pelting a synagogue with 3,200 pennies, told police he chose the coin because it was “small enough to throw but heavy enough to hurt.”

Prosecutors charged him with aggravated assault and a hate crime enhancement.

Economists estimate the phase-out will cost American taxpayers roughly $120 million annually in lost seigniorage, the profit the government makes from producing coins worth more than their material value.

The Treasury insists the price is worth paying to protect citizens.

“Money should unite us, not divide us,” Yellen added. “Today, we take one small step toward a more inclusive economy.”

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