Two pennies just sold for $869,500

Two 1792 pennies were recently auctioned off for a combined amount of $869,500.

The pieces were sold on Wednesday at the World's Fair of Money in Anaheim, California.

The Birch Cent, of which only 10 are known to exist, sold for $517,000.

The Silver Center Cent, so named because it has a small amount of silver in the middle, was purchased for $352,500.

A representative with Heritage Auctions which oversaw the sales has said they are happy with the outcome, even though the total did not reach the $1 million that had been estimated.

Both one-cent pieces have been traced back to the Founding Fathers of America and their efforts to break away from the influence of Great Britain.

Eric Bradley, from Heritage Auctions, told the New York Post: "We're looking at two coins that sold for more than 43 million times their face value, so you can't be disappointed in that."

He added: "These are coins that were developed and thought up by the Founding Fathers who were trying to differentiate themselves from British coinage and British rule."

The buyers have not yet been identified to the media.