A one of-a-kind Lincoln penny, which the Denver mint mistakenly struck in bronze, has sold for $1.7 million at Legend Numismatics. It is the most valuable cent in the world. The buyer, described only as a southwestern businessman, plans to display it with other rare pennies mistakenly struck by the mints of Philadelphia and San Francisco.
To preserve copper for the war effort, pennies typically were made of zinc during this period. A few examples exist from other mints, but this penny is the sole example to have been produced in Denver. Its value, suggests Legend President Laura Sperber, is a function of that rarity and also its condition. The coin, known to be in existence only since 1979, has been out of circulation and held by the same family for 67 years.
Read more at CoinUpdate.
