Stack’s Bowers Galleries sold the last pennies ever minted in America for $16.76 million on December 12. The California auction house handled 232 three-coin sets for the United States Mint, each containing a 2025 penny, a 24-karat gold penny from Philadelphia, and a 2025-D penny from Denver. Each set featured an Omega symbol marking their historic significance as the final pennies in a tradition dating to 1793. Sets averaged $72,000 each, with 17 selling over $100,000. The first set brought $200,000 while the final Set #232 reached $800,000, setting a record for modern U.S. currency sets. “They captured the public imagination like few rare coins we’ve ever handled,” said company President Brian Kendrella. The Philadelphia Mint stopped penny production November 12 after President Trump discontinued the coin because production costs exceed two cents per penny. (Story URL)
