One example was donated to the Smithsonian Institution, while another was alleged to have been found by United States Capitol Police Officer Albert P. Toven.

Randall planned on selling it in a public auction, but the Mint demanded its return, saying that the coin was never authorized for release and therefore remains U.S. government property.

[2] In late 1973, the price of copper on world markets rose to a point where the metallic value of the cent was almost equal to its face value.

[3][4][5] The US Mint, which produces billions of cents annually, was faced with a potentially catastrophic operating deficit due to issues of seigniorage.

[3][7] The composition was chosen due to its longevity on coin die use and aluminum's high resistance to tarnishing.

[10] Opposition also came from pediatricians and pediatric radiologists who pointed out if children ingested the aluminum pennies, they would be difficult to detect using X-ray imaging because the radiodensity of the metal inside the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts was similar to that of soft tissue.

[3] The coins, which are considered government property, have been subject to seizure by the Secret Service,[13] although the legality of the cent is questioned by numismatists.

The strikes were made using regular production dies on aluminum blanks supplied from the Philadelphia Mint.

[6] In the February 20, 2001, edition of Numismatic News, Alan Herbert reported the existence of an aluminum cent.