PITTSFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A rare penny found by a 16-year-old high school student in Pittsfield back in 1947 is up for auction starting at $120,000.
Don Lutes, Jr. discovered the rare 1943 coin after he received change from his school cafeteria in March of 1947, according to Heritage Auctions.
In 1943, during World War II, pennies were supposed to be made of steel because copper was needed for other uses. However, a handful of the coins were mistakenly pressed with copper, including the one Lutes found.
Lutes got the coin authenticated in 1958 by Walter Breen during a New England Numismatic Association convention in Worcester.
Only a handful of the legitimate rare pennies have reportedly been discovered.
An auction for the coin is slated to end Thursday.
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