The U.S. government will no longer make new pennies once the current production is complete.

It comes after President Donald Trump directed the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies, citing the rising cost of producing the one-cent coin.

 “The cost of a penny is rising, and it just doesn't make sense,” Hidalgo County Coin Club member Jacob Gonzalez said.

READ MORE: Trump says he has directed US Treasury to stop minting new pennies, citing rising cost

Gonzalez is a coin collector who said when he heard about the penny going out of print, it felt like saying bye to an old friend. 

It's not the first time that our smallest currency has gotten too expensive.  According to Gonzalez, the government shrunk the one cent coin to its current size back in 1857.

Gonzalez said he is sad to see the penny go, but there is one upside for this coin enthusiast.

“A lot of people, when they hear they're gonna stop making pennies, they'll run to the bank to get the last year that they made them,” Gonzalez said. “It spurs that interest in coins and that's good for our hobby."

As long as the government allows it, Gonzalez said we'll likely still be using pennies for at least another century.

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