Notable News (April 29-May 5, 2025)

This week’s headlines include the impending end of U.S. cents, a Congressional Gold Medal for the “Six Triple Eight,” a new book on medal creation, and a road full of dimes.

Nearly three months after President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Treasury to halt penny production, bipartisan lawmakers have introduced the Common Cents Act, a bill that seeks to end the minting of cents and require all cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest five cents.

Photo: Getty Images/Trawick-Images

On April 29, a Congressional Gold Medal was awarded to the members of the Women’s Army Corps who were assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, known as the “Six Triple Eight.” This predominately black, all-female unit was deployed to Europe near the end of World War II to clear a massive backlog of undelivered mail.

Photo: Wikipedia.org

A new book edited by Ross Pollard, The Art of Making Medals, provides practical insights into medallic sculpture through step-by-step demonstrations and essays by members of the American Medallic Sculpture Association. Each contributing artist details the creation of an original medal from concept to completion.

Photo: Mel Wacks

Millions of dimes spilled across a Texas highway last week after a tractor-trailer carrying $800,000 worth of coins overturned. The incident shut down part of southbound U.S. 287 in Alvord for several hours as cleanup crews used everything from brooms and shovels to industrial vacuums—and even got down on their hands and knees—to collect the change.

Photo: Getty Images/Johnrob