1793 penny fetches $1M at Florida auction

AP via Miami-Herald ^ | , 01.07.12 email print comment Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/07/ | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A once-cent copper coin from the earliest days of the U.S. Mint in 1793 has sold for a record $1.38 million at a Florida auction.

James Halperin of Texas-based Heritage Auctions told The Associated Press on Saturday that the sale was "the most a United States copper coin has ever sold for at auction." The coin was made at the Mint in Philadelphia in 1793, the first year that the U.S. made its own coins.

Heritage officials said in a news release that the name of the buyer was not revealed but that he was "a major collector." One of the coin's earliest owners was a well-known Baltimore banker, Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/07/2578787/1793-penny-fetches-1m-at-fla-auction.html#storylink=cpy

[AlmaKing]

That coin is in excellent condition. The hair lines are visible. Copper wears very easily.

I wonder where the copper came from for this minting.

I also wonder why they used a period after the year 1793.

It’s interesting to see the use of the 1/100 also.

[cynwoody]

I also wonder why they used a period after the year 1793.

It might be to denote an ordinal number, i.e., the 1793rd year of our Lord. In some foreign languages, putting a period after a number still has that meaning.

[Erasmus]

No, I have determined that it's a bit of chocolate covered in copper foil.

(H/T to the late Gahan Wilson)

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Daffynition. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.