Pennies have a long history, with origins in Europe and a formal American start in the late 18th century. Key points

• European pennies and their variants date back to medieval times; the term penny has long referred to small coins in many countries.

• In the United States, the first official cent was produced after the founding of the U.S. Mint. The Mint was established in 1792, and the first circulating cents were minted in 1793, beginning the long lineage of the U.S. penny, popularly called the cent.

• The earliest U.S. cents used copper and underwent several design changes over the centuries, including the famous Wheat Cent design introduced in 1909 and the Lincoln cent series that followed.

• Modern discussions about the penny include debates over continuing production versus discontinuation; recent reports in late 2025 note that the U.S. Mint ended production of the final pennies, marking the end of an era for the denomination.

If you want a specific date or the exact first minting year for a particular country’s penny (for example, United States vs. Britain), tell me which country you’re interested in and I’ll give you the precise milestones.