Rare penny up for auction

ORLANDO, Fla. (CNN) – A penny usually is worth 1 cent, but not one found in Massachusetts in 1947.

Less than 20 of the rare 1943 Lincoln pennies were ever made, and that was due to an error.

In 1943, during World War II, pennies were supposed to be made of steel because copper was needed for other uses.

But, a handful of the coins were mistakenly pressed with copper, and Don Lutes Jr. of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, discovered one of them in his change from his Massachusetts high school lunch back in 1947. He had kept it in his collection.

He died in September.

The penny is up for auction and, as of Wednesday night, the current bid was at $130,000.

The auction for the rare coin is slated to end Thursday.

A similar penny sold for $1.7 million in 2010.