A Penny for Your Thoughts Could Be a Lot Harder to Find

A Penny for Your Thoughts Could Be a Lot Harder to Find

A Penny for Your Thoughts Could Be a Lot Harder to Find Coins have become scarce as virus lockdowns keep people from emptying their coin jars in exchange for paper bills.

The U.S. Mint manufactures coins, and the Federal Reserve distributes them.Credit...Sharon Mccutcheon/EyeEm “”Getty Images

June 25, 2020Updated 1:47 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON “” Randy Graham, the chief executive of the First National Bank of Tennessee, was surprised to learn in mid-June that the Federal Reserve would not be filling his entire order of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.

The reason: The nation's coin supply was coming up short.

In the latest indication of how the coronavirus is disrupting life in unexpected ways, the flow of coins has become gummed up as consumers stayed home and avoided touching physical cash. In particular, customers have not been dumping their piggy banks into kiosks at grocery stores in exchange for bills.

As the country has begun to reopen, the supply of coins has failed to keep up with renewed demand for a type of currency that, even in an increasingly digital world, remains essential to business.

"Many businesses are dependent on the coin “” they don't need the disruption,“ Mr. Graham said. He was told that his allocation would