2 pennies sell for almost $500,000 at auction

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2 recently discovered pennies sold at a Denver coin show for a combined $493,000 this week.

A newly discovered 1943 penny sold for $282,000 because it was made of the wrong material. The penny was supposed to be made of zinc-coated steel but was mistakenly made from bronze.

A second penny from 1792 sold for $211,500 after it had been previously lost for 130 years. This was 1 of only a few known to exist in the world.

"This was the first time these particular coins were ever offered at auction and collectors were not going to let them get away," said Jim Halperin, Co-founder of Heritage Auctions, which offered the pennies at its auction held during the World's Fair of Money. "There are each just 10 to 15 of these cents known to exist."