This photo provided by Heritage Auctions shows an experimental U.S. penny struck to test a design in 1792 that sold Thursday, Jan. 8,2015 for $2,585,000 to a California man according to Heritage Auctions in Dallas. An official says the rare coin is called the 鈥淏irch cent鈥� after engraver Robert Birch. AP
DALLAS, United States 鈥� An experimental U.S. penny struck to test a design in 1792 sold at auction for almost $2.6 million a day after another rare penny sold for $2.35 million at the same collectors鈥� convention.
Heritage Auctions in Dallas said the 1792 coin sold Thursday for $2,585,000 to a California man. A Heritage official says the coin is called the 鈥淏irch cent鈥� after engraver Robert Birch.
The official calls it the 鈥渇inest鈥� of only about 10 known surviving examples of the pennies struck to test a design depicting 鈥淢iss Liberty,鈥� surrounded by the words 鈥淟iberty Parent of Science & Industry.鈥� That motto wasn鈥檛 adopted for circulating coins.
A U.S. penny from 1793 sold Wednesday for $2.35 million. It鈥檚 known as a 鈥渃hain cent鈥� because of the design on the back.
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