texas

Texas coin shop owner says ‘keep every penny' when Treasury halts production

The U.S. Treasury says there are more than 114 billion pennies in circulation.

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We may soon no longer be pinching pennies as the U.S. Treasury Department moves to halt production of the one-cent copper coin.

So what do you do with the extra change? One longtime coin collector says you might want to pinch those pennies.

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"I would keep every penny," said William Welsh, owner of Preacher Bill's Coins in Midland.

Welsh was he's spent years collecting and educating people on the hidden value of U.S. coins.

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He says his interest comes from the idea that some pennies may soon be worth far more than one cent.

And with the end in sight, Welsh says some coins are already in high demand.

"Already, just in the last couple of years, they've been over two cents each in value. So you immediately double, but copper will continue to go up in value," said Welsh. "And then now the rarities of the pennies, that's going to cause them to be more valuable."

The U.S. Treasury says there are more than 114 billion pennies in circulation.

Experts say when the penny disappears, purchases will be rounded up to a nickel.

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