$116k "Per Ounce" for Rare Penny

A Rare U.S. Penny recently collected a final eBay sell price of $14,552. Based on its estimated weight of just over 3 grams, it sold at the extraordinary equivalent of $116,000 per ounce. Something unique had caught the eye of bidders.

The 1856 Flying Eagle Penny had an opening bid of just 99 cents on December 17th 2008. Ten days later it had received 23 bids from the 9 bidders who participated in the frenzy. But it wasn’t the only penny to bring a top eBay selling price.

According to James Massey, publisher of www.WhatSellsBest.com, a free website which tracks top selling eBay items. “Even in our current economy, collectible pennies appear to be in high demand. More than 30 Lincoln Wheat Pennies have fetched final (eBay selling) prices between $2,000 - $8,000 in the last 90 days.”

While the pennies collecting the highest prices are often rated as being in excellent to mint condition. Flawed pennies are also favorites among collectors. (Provided the flaw happened during the minting process) Several “flawed” U.S Lincoln pennies recently received final eBay selling prices in the $1,000 to $2,000 range.