PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The U.S. Mint on Wednesday ended production of the penny , a change made to save money and because the 1-cent coin that could once buy a snack or a piece of candy had become increasingly irrelevant.

The last pennies were struck at the mint in Philadelphia, where the country’s smallest denomination coins have been produced since 1793 , a year after Congress passed the Coinage Act. Officials said the final few pennies would be auctioned off.

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