Rare Penny Sells For Millions At Auction

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ORLANDO (CBSMiami/AP) — A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a rare penny was worth a couple of million dollars when it went for auction in Orlando.

The penny was one of the first coins to be issued by the U.S. Mint in 1793. It sold for $2.3 million at an auction during a convention this week for coin enthusiasts.

Heritage Auctions said that the collector who won the bid wants to remain anonymous.

The penny was called a "Chain Cent" originally because the tail's side design prominently shows a chain with 13 rings, symbolizing the original 13 colonies.

Heritage Auctions president Greg Rohan says the design was later changed to a wreath after critics claimed the chains invoked slavery.

A second coin also sold for more than $2 million at the auction. A $20 denomination gold coin from 1907 sold for $2.1 million.

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