Pennies sell at auction for 43 million times face value

Two rare one-cent coins from the earliest days of the U.S. Mint have sold for a pretty penny. The copper coins, both dating to 1792, went for a combined total of $869,500 at the auction held Wednesday in Anaheim, California. One of them, known as the “Birch Cent,” sold for $517,000. The other, known as the “Silver Center Cent,” went for $352,500. Eric Bradley, spokesman for Heritage Auctions, said that while the sales fell somewhat short of the combined $1 million the auction house projected they would go for, organizers are still pleased with the result./ AP . More here .