Rare Penny Donated To Church Found To Be Worth $846,000

A headline claiming a “Church Donation Penny Turns Out to Be Worth $846,000” has been making the rounds.

It’s a jaw-dropper—but is it real? As of August 13, 2025, there is no verified auction record or credible report of a church donation penny selling for $846,000.

What is real: a dramatic 2017 story where an Indiana church was saved by a donated rare coin—but it wasn’t a penny.

It was an 1866 Liberty Head Double Eagle ($20 gold coin) that sold for $517,000, helping GracePoint Church secure a permanent home. 

What’s True vs. What’s Hype

Some blogs recycle sensational claims about donation-box “pennies” worth six or seven figures.

The closest well-documented church-donation windfall is the $517,000 GracePoint Church sale mentioned above—and again, that coin was gold, not a copper cent.

Another church-linked story involved an “Albany Church penny”—an early American token—that brought nearly $50,000 at auction in 2017, impressive but nowhere near $846,000. 

Could a Penny Be Worth $846,000?

Yes—but typically not from a random modern cent. The small club of Lincoln cents known to bring six or seven figures are major minting outliers, especially World-War-era planchet mistakes:

• 1943 bronze (copper) cents—steel was standard that year; a handful were struck on bronze by mistake. The unique 1943-D bronze cent sold for $1.7 million in 2010. 
• 1944 steel cents—by 1944, cents returned to bronze; a few were struck on leftover steel planchets and have sold in the six-figure range. 
• High-grade 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse cents have realized five to six figures at auction. 

Quick Reference

Item	What actually happened	Verified top price range
“Church donation penny” fetches $846,000	No verified record as of Aug 13, 2025	—
GracePoint Church coin (Indiana, 2017)	Donated 1866 $20 gold coin sold to fund church	$517,000 auction result
Albany “Church penny” (token), 1790	Early American church issue/token sold in 2017	~$49,350
1943-D bronze Lincoln cent	Unique wartime error cent	$1.7 million (2010)
1944 steel Lincoln cent	Wrong-planchet wartime carryover	Up to ~$180,000 (varies by mint/grade)

How to Tell if Your Penny Could Be Special

1. Check the date and metal.
   1943 pennies should be steel and magnetic; if your 1943 cent is non-magnetic brown copper, test weight (~3.11 g) and seek certification—counterfeits are common. 1944 cents should be bronze; a 1944 that sticks to a magnet may be the rare steel mistake. 
2. Look for major design doubling.
   The 1969-S Doubled Die Obverse shows strong doubling in LIBERTY and the date. Authentic pieces have sold from the five-figure range up to six figures depending on grade. 
3. Confirm authenticity and grade.
   For any suspected rarity, use top tier grading/certification to prevent expensive mistakes and maximize value.

The viral $846,000 church penny headline doesn’t match any credible auction record.

The real church-donation blockbusters include a $517,000 sale—but for a gold double eagle, not a cent. Truly six- or seven-figure pennies are almost always wartime planchet errors or major varieties with ironclad authentication.

If a coin in your change—or even a donation box—looks unusual, test it, weigh it, and get it certified. 

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