There are many old coin collection that is worth a lot of money. If you’re looking to start a collection or add to an existing one, these 10 collections are a great place to start. We keep the list below of coins minted in 1964 and before. We will mix some affordable and costly coins in this list.
Without further ado, here is the list of the top 10 old coin collections:
10 Old Coin Collection:
685-695 AD Byzantine Empire Justinian Empire AV Solidus
The first coin with Jesus Christ on a coin. The gold coins of the Byzantine Empire established an aesthetic and monetary benchmark for the Mediterranean region throughout much of its history. One side featured a ruler portrait, while the other depicted a religious icon in the middle Byzantine period. Latin or Greek inscriptions could be found on their images, depending on which language was used at the time.
Scholars have claimed that Justinian’s decision to develop a coin with Jesus Christ on it came as a reaction to ‘Abd al-Malik, the Umayyad caliph who minted Byzantine-style solidi with an Islamic declaration of faith (the shahada) in AD 692, which he used in payment of tribute to the Emperor before the outbreak.
This coin has a minimum grade value of $17,500+.
1943 Lincoln Head Copper Penny
One of the most sought-after coins for all collectors. There are only 40 of these copper-alloy coins remain in existence. It’s believed that they were made by accident when copper-alloy 1-cent blanks remained in the press hopper as production of the new steel coins began.
Due to its popularity, the 1943 copper cent has been counterfeited by coating steel cents with copper or altering the dates of 1945, 1948, and 1949 pennies to enhance their collector value. This coin has been sold for $1,000,000 in an auction.
1793 Chain AMERI Cent
36,103 chain coins were minted from February 27 to March 12, 1793. There are high grades of chain coins left, but most are of the lowest quality.
You may detect the lowest grades by examining the coin’s inscription, sometimes worn down to the point that only the Chain and some of the letters “ONE CENT” are readable.
1928 “Auto Dollar” 1 Yuan
The warlord of Kweichow province, Zhou Xicheng, minted a coin in 1928 to commemorate the completion of the Kweichow Provincial Highway, the province’s first road. To cut the story short, he decided to put his car on the coin, the only car in the province.
As a result, this is the first coin in world history to feature a car, widely regarded as the most recognized Chinese commemorative coin of the 20th century. According to numismatists, 648,000 coins were minted in Kweichow province, a mystery to numismatists for decades since there was no known mint in the region.
The 1787 Fugio Cent
This is the earliest coin issued by the United States, making it a precious old coin. Benjamin Franklin designed it with the inscription, “Mind your business.” The obverse would have the sun and a sundial with the legend “FUGIO” (I fly). It’s believed that about 400,000 of these coins were minted, but only a few remain in existence.
1870 Meiji Year of 3, Japan One Yen Silver Coin
In 1870, the government established a silver standard (replaced by a gold standard in 1873). This coin served as a model for the first silver yen. In place of an emperor’s portrait, this coin depicts a dragon to symbolize him.
The coin’s obverse is dragon within a beaded circle, legends above, written value below, and the reverse is sunburst crest within the beaded circle and wreath, chrysanthemum between two paulownia flowers.
1953 Shoulder Fold (SF) Penny
This old coin was minted to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It’s made from copper-nickel and has a thickness twice the regular penny. The unusual shape and thickness gave it its nickname, the “shoulder fold” penny.
This design was a pain to deal with, and it caused difficulties in terms of equipment and efficiency; the original coin design was subsequently modified in 1953 to remove the shoulder fold, making the initial design extremely rare.
1881 Haiti Gourde
This old coin is from the Republic of Haiti and was minted between 1881. The obverse has a woman’s head wearing a coronet with the legend “REPUBLIQUE D’HAITI” around, while the reverse has a wreath and value within. The coins were struck in Paris, but the dies were then sent to Haiti to produce coins. This coin is quite rare, with a mintage of only 20,000.
1895-B 5 Francs Switzerland
The old coin was minted at the Swiss Federal Mint in Bern. The obverse is the head of Helvetia, facing left, wearing a tiara with alpenroses. In contrast, the coin’s reverse is the coat of arms of Switzerland on an ornate shield. Five-pointed star above. Wreath is formed of oak and laurel branches tied with a ribbon below. It is made of Silver (.900) (10% copper).
1932-S Washington Quarter
This old coin is a United States quarter that was minted in 1932. It has the lowest mintage of the entire series, with just 408,000 coins struck for circulation. The old coin is in extremely high demand by collectors.
According to a notice in the June 1934 edition of The Numismatist (p. 416), collectors could buy Uncirculated 1932-S Quarter Dollars directly from the United States Treasury for “the face value of the coins, plus an amount sufficient to cover the mail charges by first-class mail.”
Before you go…
As you can see, an old coin collection is a great way to add value to your collection. Not only do they have historical significance, but they’re also scarce and in high demand by collectors. So if you’re looking for something different and unique, add an old coin collection to your list!
Check out my next article: “10 of The Most Valuable Canadian Coins Ever.”
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