RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
And today's last word in business is: Million dollar nickel.
The U.S. Treasury quietly shot down a movement to mint a trillion dollar coin to avert another debt ceiling fight this year.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
That idea may now seem less outlandish, given this: a nickel that is expected to sell for well over $2 million at auction this spring. Why so much? Turns out it was never supposed to be minted.
MONTAGNE: The nickel - with Lady Liberty on one side and the Roman numeral for V on the other, bears the date 1913. The only problem, the liberty head was replaced by the buffalo head in 1912, making this nickel a bootleg - one of five allegedly cast at the Philadelphia Mint by a crooked employee out to make some quick coins.
INSKEEP: If only he'd been able to hold on to it for a century. But this fraud was no fool. He did wait until the statue of limitations expired in 1920 to sell the set and he did get a pretty penny at that time, which is about to happen again.
That's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.
MONTAGNE: And I'm Renee Montagne. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.