For generations, Americans have tossed pennies into jars, couch cushions, glove compartments and desk drawers without giving the little copper-colored coins much thought.
Now, the penny has entered a new chapter.
The U.S. government has stopped manufacturing new pennies, bringing an end to one of the most familiar pieces of American currency. Existing pennies remain legal tender and will continue circulating, but the federal government is no longer producing fresh supplies.
And just as the nation said goodbye to the humble one-cent coin, something remarkable happened in the collector market.
