Rare Penny Sells For $1.38 Million

Like many people I have a "special coin box" I put away interesting pieces of change that I get.  Over the last three weeks I've run into three Wheaties.  But they weren't worth much more than conversation.

I found a 1914 Wheat penny the other day.  I was pretty excited because I thought certainly this one would be worth something, but no.  The coin I found in uncirculated condition would be worth $90.  The beat up one I found might fetch a dollar.

Not to say there aren't some immensely valuable pennies out there.  The granddaddy of them all has to be the the one cent piece made in 1793, the first year the U.S. made it's own coins.  It sold at auction on Saturday for $1.38 million.  That's a lot of pennies to buy a penny.

The coin is known as the "Chain Cent" because of it's border chain rings representing the solidarity of the states.  It was changed to a wreath after critics linked the chains to slavery.

For more see this source article.