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V29 2026 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 29, Number 9, 2026, Article 30

Here are some additional items in the media this week that may be of interest. -Editor

This came out in December, but still worth reviewing - it's a Treasury Department summary of facts and recommendations surrounding the cessation of the one cent coin or "penny". -Editor

As pennies fall out of circulation, merchants will need to round transactions either up or down to the nearest five cents. However, most states require sales tax to be calculated on the final sale price rounded to the nearest penny. How states and localities will ultimately amend their sales tax laws is the right and responsibility of those jurisdictions. Recent guidance from the National Council of State Legislators gives some indication how states may adapt. The NCSL's November 21, 2025 report entitled Elimination of the Penny: Cents-able Considerations states: "The most recommended form of rounding is symmetrical rounding whereby if the final digit of the total transaction amount (including taxes) is 1, 2, 6, or 7 cents, the amount is rounded down to the nearest multiple of five. If the final digit is 3, 4, 8, or 9 cents, the amount is rounded up. Transactions totaling exactly $0.01 or $0.02 might be rounded up to $0.05. Rounding rules would not apply to payments made via electronic methods, checks, gift cards, or other non-cash instruments."

Retailers should continue accepting pennies and providing penny change for cash transactions while the coin remains in circulation. When penny change is not available, businesses may round the final amount of a cash transaction to the nearest five-cent increment, recognizing that states will approach this issue differently based on unique considerations. The penny will remain legal tender, meaning it retains its status as an acceptable form of payment.

We recommend that non-cash transactions, such as payments made by check, credit card, or debit card, continue being priced and processed to the exact cent.

Businesses should apply rounding practices in a fair, consistent, and transparent manner.

To read the complete article, see:
Penny Production Cessation FAQs (https://home.treasury.gov/news/featured-stories/penny-production-cessation-faqs)

I've also been wanting to mention coverage of the recent Numismatic News visit to China. Here's an excerpt - see the complete article online. -Editor

At the end of October, Numismatic News Senior Editor and Coin of the Year Coordinator Sophia Mattimiro, along with NumisMaster Market Analyst Jeff Starck, left the United States for a trip to China.

The journey was the result of months of planning and coordinating with the Coin of the Year (COTY) sponsor, Journal of East Asian Numismatics (JEAN), and China Gold Coin Group Co., LTD. The goal of the trip was to learn more about China Gold Coin's 2025 Chinese Dragon silver bullion coin, which was released earlier in the year, as well as visit the Beijing International Coin Expo.

Starting the trip in Hong Kong, Mattimiro and Starck made a stop at a permanent coin market. The small three-story building housed numerous small shops specializing in coins, bank notes, stamps, and antiques. The selection included offerings from every corner of the world.

After the market, it was a hunt for a mobile coin exchange truck. Read more about the coin cart in Starck's column "Starck Reality" in the December 2025 issue of World Coin News.

The next day, accompanied by JEAN's founder and editor, Michael Chou, as well as two representatives from China Great Wall Coins Investments Ltd., the group drove to Shenzhen in mainland China. There, they were treated to an exclusive tour of the Shenzhen Guobao Mint, which produces the silver Dragon coins. The Mint also produces the gold and silver Panda coins that many world coin collectors are familiar with.

Kavan Ratnatunga passed along this article about the crash of a plane carrying a shipment of banknotes. Thank you. -Editor

A cargo plane carrying new banknotes crashed near Bolivian capital, leaving at least 15 people dead, an official said. The plane ploughed into a highway, damaging around a dozen vehicles and sending banknotes flying across the area.

There is no clarity on whether the dead were in the plane or in the cars on the highway near the airport in La Paz, Fire Chief Pavel Tovar told Associated Press. He said that several people sustained injuries too.

"They declared that all those banknotes on the streets are non-legal tender. But I wonder about their value in the numismatic market outside Bolivia. The book Banknotes Salvaged, Looted, or Lost From Shipwrecks may now need to include Aircraft."