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Coin Collector Pays Over $2 Million for Rare Penny

What could you buy with a penny? Not a lot, right?

Well that's unless it's from 1792.

A California coin collector paid nearly $2.6 million at an auction for a very rare American penny. Named after it's engraver, Robert Birch, the so-called "birch cent" was among the first pennies made in the United States. One side features the profile of lady liberty and reads "liberty parent of science and industry".

It is believed that only 10 of the pennies exist, since they were part of a series of prototype coins.

The collector who bought the penny was so excited to get the coin that he couldn't just stop at one. The next day he spent another $2 million on America's first quarter. If you're doing the math in your head, in total he spent over $4 million for twenty six cents.

I guess you can't put a price on American history.

stephanie.jarvis@ideastream.org | 216-916-6340