The final U.S. pennies have been minted and a recent auction for them sold for a massive amount, writes Mike Newall for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
In total, the final pennies sold for a combined nearly $17 million.
This includes a three-coin set that sold for $800,000 and another set that sold for $180,000.
The sets, which were sold by Stack’s Bowers Galleries, represented the 232 years that have passed since the penny was first minted in Philadelphia in 1793.
The pennies included some of the last struck for circulation at the U.S. Mint facilities in both Philadelphia and Denver, and another 24-karat gold penny that was minted in Philadelphia.
Each of the coins features a unique omega symbol that marks the official end of the penny as a circulated coin.
“This set represents the VERY LAST cents struck in the classic circulating finishing, the true Omega,” read for the listing for the final pennies. “It is impossible to overstate the historic nature of these three pieces, which are likely the most significant coins to emerge from the United States Mint this century.”
While pennies will no longer be in circulation, Americans have more than 300 billion in their possession.
Read more about the auction that saw some of the final U.S. pennies sold in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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