Final U.S. Cents Sold for over $16 Million

The last circulating cents sold for over $16.76 million in a Stack’s Bowers Galleries special auction on December 12. Presented on behalf of the U.S. Mint, the auction included 232 three-coin sets, each featuring a 2025 cent struck at the Philadelphia Mint, a 2025-D cent, and a 24-karat gold cent, as well as three sets of canceled dies used to strike the final cents. With 17 lots selling for more than $100,000 and an average lot value of over $72,000, the sale is now the highest value auction of special coins sold on behalf of the U.S. Mint.

The auction opened with the first set selling for $200,000. Set No. 232 realized the highest price of the session, hammering at over $800,000, and now ranks as the most valuable modern U.S. numismatic item. The space-flown 24-karat gold Sacagawea dollar previously held the record, realizing $550,000 in a September 2025 Stack’s Bowers Galleries auction. “It’s an extraordinary honor to again be selected to partner with the United States Mint to offer exciting numismatic rarities to the collecting public,” says Stack’s Bowers Galleries President Brian Kendrella. “Even our staff of expert numismatists, who see the world’s most famous and valuable rare coins day in and day out, were excited by the chance to handle the very last pennies struck before the suspension of circulating production.”