A Tallahassee-based artist and content creator known for gag gifts like the "thnickel" (a thick nickel) is launching a protest against the U.S. Mint over their plan to auction off the final "Omega pennies."

Legboot, a play on "bootleg," is launching a fundraiser in an attempt to purchase one of the final sets of pennies and return them to circulation. That way, he said, any collector or everyday person might own a rare penny.

The protest is quirky, no doubt, but also serious. There's a lot of work to do. So far, the GoFundMe has raised just over $1,100, but one thousand of that is from Legboot himself.

"It really rustled my jimmies hearing that a public institution like the Mint, charged with creating currency for people to use and collect... would be doing this in a way that normal people will never benefit from," he said. "It's about a symbolic protest against how public institutions are managing our money. In this case, literally."

The artist believes he'll need to raise at least $50,000 to have a realistic shot at purchasing one of the sets. The Mint said it will auction off 232 sets of pennies, some of which will be gold-plated. They'll have an Omega mark, signifying that they're the last pennies struck.

If successful, Legboot would crack the plastic covers and circulate the pennies like any other transaction at the ticket counter or vending machine.

"It's like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory, Charlie getting the golden ticket. If Wonka had just auctioned his tickets off to the highest bidder, it would've been a much different story," he said.

The auction is December 11. The artist said that if he's unable to purchase at least one set, the money will be refunded to donors.

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Tallahassee artist protests the US Mint auctioning final pennies(https://www.wctv.tv/2025/11/26/tallahassee-artist-protests-us-mint-auctioning-final-pennies/)