The first U.S. penny sold for nearly $1.2 million Thursday night at an auction in Baltimore. The first U.S. penny is 223 years old, and is also worth a lot more than one cent. It sold for nearly ...

BALTIMORE (AP) -- An early trial of America's first 1-cent coin now costs quite a pretty penny -- an auction host says one has sold for more than $1 million.

But the U.S. won’t be the first country to discontinue the penny, as New Zealand stopped producing their one-cent coins in 1990, followed by Australia in 1992 and Canada in 2012.

After all, this isn't the first time there has been a national conversation about the fate of the American penny. Every few years, someone in Washington or an economic think tank brings the issue up.

A prototype for the first U.S. cent will be auctioned for around $1 million—or 100 million times its trading value—later this month at an auction via Stack’s Bowers in Baltimore.

Otha Anders saved his first penny more than 45 years ago when he found it on the ground.. The coin reminded him to pray and give thanks. "I became convinced that spotting a lost or dropped penny ...

It’s the most money ever paid for a one-cent piece. And yes, he said, the purchase made sense. “It’s like our very first penny,” Lipton, 55, told the Los Angeles Times on Sunday.

1992 Close AM Penny: The “A” and “M” in “AMERICA” almost touch. One sold for $20,000 in 2012, though most go for $2,000 to $3,000. 1972 Doubled Die Obverse Penny: Blurry lettering ...