Last pennies go for big bucks at auction

State of play: One of the 232 three-coin penny sets sold for $800,000 — the highest hammer price during Thursday's auction, held by California-based Stack's Bowers Galleries.

• Another set fetched $200,000.

Zoom in: Each set included two circulating pennies — one each from the Mint's facilities in Philadelphia and Denver — and a 24-karat gold uncirculated penny minted in Philly.

• The coins bear a unique omega symbol (Ω).

The highest grossing sale, which was for the very last pennies struck (No. 232 of 232), included the original three pairs of stamps (or dies) used to strike the Omega pennies.

Catch up quick: The Philadelphia U.S. Mint struck the final circulating one-cent coins in November.

• That came after President Trump directed the Treasury to stop producing new pennies earlier this year due to the high costs of making the coins.
• The U.S. Mint has made pennies for the last 232 years.