A Mistakenly Made Penny Sold At Auction for Over $200,000 USD

Pittsfield, Massachusetts resident Don Lutes Jr. struck auction gold with a copper penny that was accidentally created by the U.S. Mint.

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Lutes Jr. received the penny as change from his school cafeteria back in 1947.

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From then on, he decided to hold on to it because he saw that it had a unique coloring compared to other pennies at the time.

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The mistakenly-made penny was recently sold at Heritage Auctions for $204,000 USD.

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Billed as “the Holy Grail of mint errors” by Heritage Auctions

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the penny is considered to be one of only 15 coins produced during World War II due to manufacturing errors as per AP News.

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“Only 10 to 15 of these pennies, mistakenly minted in bronze instead of steel, are believed to exist

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They were made at a time when bronze and copper were being saved to fill metal shortages during World War II,” expressed the organization.

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Lutes Jr. passed away last September. Proceeds from the sale will be donated to the Berkshire Athenaeum at the public library in Pittsfield

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In other auction news, a Supreme skate deck collection worth $1 million USD is set to be auctioned off at Sotheby’s this January 25.

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