Incredible Coins: The market of rare coin collecting is an interesting blend of history, artistry and possibility as an investment. Though considered pocket change to most people, some coins are considered so valuable, they’re auctioned for tens of millions.
Each of these numismatic treasures represent a tantalizing glimpse of life in a different era and civilization, and are sought after by collector and investor alike.
And so, with that said –- we will leave it to others to decide –- let’s take a look at 10 extraordinary coins that offer a collective value that is nearly $29 million.
Incredible Coins: The 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle ($18.9 Million)
At the top of the list of collectible coins is the iconic 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Although 445,500 were struck, Executive Order 6102—issued by President Franklin D.
Roosevelt—banned American citizens from hoarding gold, with the result that the vast majority were melted. There is only one in private hands which is the the Weitzman Specimen.
This impressive coin set a record when it was auctioned for an astounding $18.9 million in 2021, becoming the most expensive coin ever sold.
The coin was designed by acclaimed sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and depicts Lady Liberty walking forward holding in her right hand a torch, and in the left an olive branch, which is widely considered one the most beautiful coin designs ever struck in the United States.
The 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar ($10 million)
One of the most historically important coins in numismatics, the 1794 Flowing Hair dollar was Americas first dollar and the very first silver coin ever struck by the federal government of the United States.
It was designed by Robert Scot and depicts Liberty with flowing hair on the obverse and an American eagle on the reverse. The coin was designed to be the same mass as the Spanish dollar.
A particularly well-preserved specimen sold for $10 million in 2013, at the time the month’s most expensive sale.
According to estimates 1,800 were struck, with 120-130 specimens surviving making this coin the birth of the American currency system that we have today.
The 723 Umayyad Gold Dinar ($6 million)
This rare Islamic coin which was minted in the 8th century displays the text “mine of the commander of the faithful,” making it the first Islamic coin to mention a place in Saudi Arabia. It was minted from gold produced at amine of the caliph himself, hence the historical interest.
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(a piece AU58 with some red).There are perhaps a dozen such Feuchtwanger Tokens extant, and all are held in high esteem by collectors of 19th century United States coinage.
10. The 1804 Silver Dollar Class I ($4.1 Million)
The 1804 Silver Dollar Class I, nicknamed the “King of Coins,” was actually minted in the 1830s, not in 1804, as diplomatic gift sets. The highest is the division of a class I, with only 15 specimens known for all 3 classes.
A specimen that had been in the collection of the Sultan of Muscat brought $4.1 million, evidence of its extraordinary perceived rarity and interesting diplomatic background. The coin’s design is of a bust of Liberty and an eagle (both indicative of early American design motifs).
1913 Liberty Head Nickel ($4.2 million)
Draped in secrecy, the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel shouldn’t even exist. The new Buffalo Nickel was to replace the Liberty Head in 1913, but Samuel Brown, a coining equipment setter at the mint, somehow managed to secretly make five example of the new date on the old design plate.
All five coins are now extant, and one sold for $4.2 million. A 1972 sale saw a single example break the $100,000 barrier and a further 24 years later in 1996 it was the first coin to smash the $1 million mark.
The 1343 Edward III Florin ($3 million)
The coin is the rarest in British numismatic history, with only three known examples. One is in private hands and the other two are in the British Museum.
The privately-owned coin was sold for around $3 million (£460,000 at that time), which at the time, was a record sum for a British coin.
This 14th century coin chats us through the economic and cultural progress of medieval England and really encapsulates a period in which the monarch, Edward III, was a powerhouse of English history.
The 1907 Saint-Gaudens High Relief Double Eagle ($3 million)
The William St. Gaudens design is another classic from Augustus Saint-Gaudens that first was minted in very high relief, making the coins so impractical that mass production was impossible.
Less than 30 of the original high relief designs were even struck before the design was changed to make it easier to strike.
This artistic victory went for almost $3 million when it was auctioned in 2005. Two examples are at present institutionally preserved in the Smithsonian, thus saving for future generations this numismatic work of art.
The 2007 Canadian Million-Dollar Gold Maple Leaf ($4.1 Million) If you don’t care that much for Canadian maple syrup and reckon the leaf tastes like dirty sugar and you have millions of disposable dollars on hand, you may be able to get your hands on this coin, which commands for millions and is definitely not a penny from your piggy bank.
Having a face value of 1 million Canadian dollars, in 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint created a wonderful numismatic sensation by striking just six huge gold 100kg coins.
These coins bore the iconic sugar maple leaf design on the reverse side and a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, and were struck in 99.999% pure gold, then the highest purity ever used in coins.
Massive Intimus These huge coins are not only a testament to technical skill in minting, they also make for an impressive store of value, one of which sold at auction for approximately $4.1m.
The 1795 Reeded Edge Cent ($1.3 Million)
This large cent has a reeded (ridged) edge which was uncommon in copper coins at the time. The Professional Coin Grading Service says specimens in better than “very good” condition can sell for more than $1.26 million.
The obverse features Liberty’s head with mussed hair, while the reverse features a wreath. The importance of this piece does not end with its rarity; it is also one of the first U.S. coins struck.
The 1943 Lincoln Penny that’s made of Bronze ($1 Million)
In 1943, the war effort required copper, so the U.S. Mint made pennies of zinc-coated steel. But some copper planchets — the milled-edge blank disks from which coins are stamped — slipped into the presses, striking a handful of very rare bronze pennies that year.
A perfect example from the Philadelphia Mint (which makes no mint mark) can bring as much as $1 million. This reverse struck thru shows how the most minute errors in the production process lead to an arrray of valuable gems for collectors.
Incredible Coins: The Allure of Rare Coins
These ten particular exceptional coins, which have a combined value of around $29 million, are more than just money in the bank; they are physical artifacts of human history, and artistic and economic progress.
Each has it own story that draws us into different times and worlds, centuries-old Islamic caliphates or medieval England or the post-revolutionary American republic.
These coins are the crown jewels of numismatists and serious investors. But they are more than just money, they are also windows onto the past that show us how societies wished to be seen and what was important to them by the way they represented themselves on the coins.
Most of us will never be able to hold these treasures in our hand, but their stories keep fascinating us and remind us every now and then, that sometimes the greatest value can be wrapped in the tiniest packages.