Stack’s Bowers Galleries to Sell the Very Last “Omega” Pennies at Auction

Costa Mesa, CA The very last circulating pennies, or “cents,” will be auctioned in a special sale this December byStack’s Bowers Galleries, the firm selected by the United States Mint for this historic offering. Each of these coins exhibits a small “Ω” privy mark of the final Greek letter Omega, indicating their role as the capstone to a two-century-long legacy that first began in 1793. These Omega privy-mark Lincoln pennies will be offered in three-coin sets featuring one each of the 2025 penny (struck at the Philadelphia Mint), the 2025-D penny (struck at the Denver Mint), and a historic 2025 penny struck in 24 karat gold (produced at the Philadelphia Mint). The 24-karat gold penny is a true modern rarity, representing the first cent officially struck in gold and one of the rarest non-Proof gold coins to ever emerge from the United States Mint.

Only 232 three-coin sets are available for collectors—celebrating the number of years pennies were produced beginning in 1793—and they will be offered exclusively in the Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Each set will be accompanied by a serialized Certificate of Authenticity, and set #232 will also include the three sets of canceled original dies used to strike these coins. United States Treasurer Brandon Beach and United States Mint Acting Director Kristie McNally also personally operated the presses to strike the final few Omega coins, in recognition of their historic significance.

These coins boast the lowest mintages in the Lincoln penny series and are among the rarest in the entire penny series, which spans back to the “Alpha” of 1793. This mintage is more than 2,000 times lower than that of the famous 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln penny and only a fraction of the production quantity for the original 1793 Chain Reverse pennies that started it all. Though many thousands of collectors are actively assembling sets of Lincoln pennies at any given time, only 232 will have the opportunity for true completion via the Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale this December.

“We are extremely honored to once again present a historic selection of modern rarities on behalf of the United States Mint,” said Stack’s Bowers Galleries President Brian Kendrella. “These Omega privy mark Lincoln pennies are a fitting celebration of one of the most popular and influential denominations in American coinage.”

To further recognize the significance of these historic pieces, all coins will be certified by the leading grading service, PCGS, and encapsulated with bespoke labels designed exclusively for this auction event. They will be added to the popular PCGS Set Registry, which allows collectors to better document and showcase their collections, compete with other collectors, and more. These Omega pennies will also be reviewed by Certified Acceptance Corporation (CAC) to confirm their superior quality and eye appeal.

Live bidding for these three-coin Omega privy mark sets, each of which includes a 24 karat gold penny, will begin on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 12 PM EST (9 AM PST). The auction will be hosted on the Stack’s Bowers Galleries website www.StacksBowers.com and broadcast from Griffin Studios in the firm’s Costa Mesa, California headquarters.

In recognition of this historic offering, Stack’s Bowers Galleries will waive the Buyer’s Premium on these special Omega privy mark sets, meaning that the highest bid on each lot (the hammer price) will be the final amount paid by the winning bidder (excluding shipping fees).

Remarkably, this sale will represent the fifth time Stack’s Bowers Galleries has been selected by the United States Mint for a special auction, following their $7.5 million sale of the 1933 Saint-Gaudens $20 in July 2002, their $4.6 million sale of 35th Anniversary American Eagle coins in September 2022, their $8.2 million sale of 230th Anniversary Flowing Hair coins in December 2024 and their $3.2 million sale of the Space Flown 24 Karat Gold Sacagawea dollars in September 2025. No other auction firm in the world—specialized or generalist—boasts this repetitive selection by the United States Mint.

For more information about the Stack’s Bowers Galleries sale of the historic Omega privy mark Lincoln pennies this December, or to consign your collection, contact the firm by calling 800-458-4646 or by emailing info@stacksbowers.com.

Stack's Bowers Galleries conducts live, internet, and specialized auctions of rare U.S. and world coins and currency and ancient coins, as well as direct sales through retail and wholesale channels. The company's 90+ year legacy includes the cataloging and sale of many of the most valuable United States coin and currency collections to ever cross an auction block — The D. Brent Pogue Collection, The John J. Ford, Jr. Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection, The Harry W. Bass, Jr. Collection, The Joel R. Anderson Collection, The Norweb Collection, The Cardinal Collection, The Sydney F. Martin Collection and The Battle Born Collection — to name just a few.

World coin and currency collections include The Pinnacle Collection, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins, The Kroisos Collection, The Alicia and Sidney Belzberg Collection, The Salton Collection, The Wa She Wong Collection, the Augustana Collection of gold rarities from across western Europe, the Richard Margolis Collection of world coins and medals and The Thos. H. Law Collection. Recently, the firm was awarded the privilege of bringing the most valuable world coin collection to auction – the L. E. Bruun Collection.

Stack’s Bowers Galleries is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, which is also the location of Griffin Studios, the firm’s custom-built, broadcast-ready auction and event facility. In addition, the company has galleries in New York, Boston, Miami, and Philadelphia, as well as offices in New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Paris, and Vancouver. Stack's Bowers Galleries hosts a Global Showcase each summer as an Event Auctioneer Partner of the ANA World’s Fair of Money, a sale that features United States coins and currency, Ancient coins and World coins and currency. They are also the Official Auctioneer for several important numismatic events, including the New York International Numismatic Convention, the Whitman Spring, Summer, and Winter Expos, the Spring and Fall Hong Kong shows, and the Maastricht Paper Money shows.