1793 penny fetches $1M at Florida auction By The Associated
Press
| January 8, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A one-cent copper coin minted
in 1793, the first year that the United States produced
its own coins, has fetched $1 million at a Florida auction.
The Orlando Sentinel reports (http://thesent.nl/xZBfyw
) that the final bid by an unknown buyer for the coin was
one of the largest sales at the Florida United Numismatics
coin show and annual convention.
The newspaper reported that the 1793 penny was sold at
such a high price because it is rare and in excellent shape,
showing no wear on its lettering, its Lady Liberty face
or the wreath on its back.
Nearly 600 dealers of coins and currency are at the show
that runs through Sunday. It also features Buffalo nickels,
dozens of silver one-ounce pieces and coins from antiquity,
misprinted cash and Confederate notes.