The U.S. Mint ended production of the penny in late 2025, because it was reportedly costing nearly 4 cents to produce every coin worth 1 cent.
Sentimental value is a different matter altogether—and the rarer something becomes, the more meaning people may assign to it. Pennies remain in use, but there’s likely to be fewer and fewer in circulation now that new ones aren’t being produced.
For California-based jewelry brand the Ben Shoppe, the penny is already, as it says on the company’s website, a national treasure. Since its founding in 2023, the Ben Shoppe has customized its packaging to include a penny—from a year the customer chooses—in every box. And now the brand has introduced the Penny Vault, a 14k gold locket-style pendant inspired by the coin.
On the Penny Vault’s penny, the word TODAY takes the place of the year, representing the importance of the present moment. A woman modeled on the goddess Athena appears in profile at the center of the coin. Above her head, the phrase “In God we trust” has been replaced with “In self I trust”—a reminder for the wearer to follow her instincts.
Open the door of the Penny Vault and on one side of the interior, an assortment of lucky charms is depicted in hand-painted enamel: horseshoe, clover, spade. Other inside parts of the pendant are engraved with the repeating words just my luck and an ace of spades playing card—another enduring symbol of luck.
Below, the Ben Shoppe founder and designer Charlotte Macaulay shares more about the new piece, and about her company in general.
Where did your business’ name come from?
Our brand was built to be a celebration of all the time you’ve put in building the life you’re living. Our pieces are inspired by all the different stops on your timeline—the good ones, the hard ones, the future ones. With time as a central point of inspiration, along with influences from my [family’s] British roots, the name was born from an early love of city life, which for me was London. I loved the idea of bringing that into the brand somehow. and my mind instantly went to Big Ben, the oldest relic of time—which is how Ben came into play.
How did the concept of putting a penny in each box originate?
Pennies have always fascinated me. Seeing a penny with a date on it from 30 years ago always leaves me asking [it], “What have you seen? Where have you traveled?” For me, they are the ultimate storytellers, each completely unique in its travels and wear. I see our community and customers the same way, each with their own story to tell. The penny is placed in our boxes as a reminder to celebrate the one-of-a-kind journey you’re on. I also love to be able to customize the penny year for our customers, which offers an extra dose of meaning to accompany our pieces.
The recent end of penny manufacturing is a great commemorative fit for your brand. What other meaning does the new piece offer?
With the death of the penny, a beloved element of the brand, I saw an opportunity to go all in. For me, the penny wasn’t going anywhere. We loved the idea of taking this form of currency that we’ve known for so long and flipping the script to become a currency unique to the brand and the wearer. The Penny Vault creates a new currency designed to be a reminder to trust your gut and be unapologetically you. It also carries symbols of luck and strength on its enamel interior to have with you daily. We want this to be a piece that gives the wearer an extra dose of confidence in and recognition of who they are—a true moment of self-celebration.
Do you see the Penny Vault pendant as more of a self-purchase or gift?
I always see our pieces first as a self-gift because the idea of people taking a moment to celebrate themselves and what they’ve accomplished is really what the brand is all about. But of course if someone else wants to celebrate you, we love that, too. I envision this as truly an everyday staple—the exterior is steeped with meaning but also incredibly easy to outfit, on its own or layered. We never want our pieces to feel difficult to wear in everyday life, which is why the colorful details are kept on the interior, mirroring how the most meaningful parts of who we are come from within.
