While the U.S. Mint has been producing coins for over 240 years, some still have eluded collectors.
Some coins can fetch millions of dollars from collectors and investors alike.
Here is my list of the top ten most expensive coins in the world:
Top 10 Most Expensive Coin Collections:
1. 1913 Liberty Head Nickel
Have you heard of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel? It is one of the rarest coins, produced in very limited quantities without authorization from the United States Mint.
As a result, it has become one of the most sought-after rarities in American Numismatics. Wow, there are only five examples of this thing, and three are actually in museums!
Can you believe it? One of the coins was sold in 2004 for a whopping $3,000,000!
2. 1804 Bust Dollar Class I
The 1804 Bust Dollar Class I was crafted to be included in exclusive proof coin sets and presented as diplomatic gifts during Edmund Roberts’ voyages to Slam and Muscal.
Even though we’re looking at a coin that says 1804, it’s important to note that no coins were produced that year. All of the coins were minted in the 1830s or later.
This coin was sold at an auction by Heritage Auctions back in 2008 for a whopping price of $3,290,000!
3. 1885 Trade Dollar
The 1885 Trade Dollar is a remarkable silver coin that holds a value of $1 million. Charles Barber designed it, and it was minted in proof condition only 10,000 times.
This coin was meant to be used in Chinese trade, but unfortunately, it failed because it had an excessive amount of silver (90%). So, what happened was that the U.S. Treasury recalled all the coins, which makes them quite rare nowadays.
There are only ten of them in existence! Wow! Heritage Auctions sold this coin for a whopping $3,960,000 back in 2019!
4. Big Maple Leaf (2007)
Have you heard of the Big Maple Leaf Coin? It’s a massive gold coin worth $1,000,000 and weighs 100 kilograms! They produced six sets at the Royal Canadian Mint.
It was minted before the Olympic Winter Games. Wow, folks! This coin is worth a whopping $4,000,000 as of today!
5. 1907 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle
The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is a coin minted by the United States Mint between 1907 and 1933.
This masterpiece was crafted by the famous sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who also created the $20 gold piece and $10 eagle.
This remarkable feat makes him one of the very few artists to have designed circulating coins for all three denominations.
The 1907 Double Eagle got its name because it had more pure gold than the previous age run.
Specifically, it contained 31.1 grams (0.9675 troy ounces) of pure gold, more than twice the amount found in the previous run, which only had 16 grams (0.48375 troy ounces).
Wow! Did you hear that a 1907 Double Eagle was sold for $4,750,000 at a private sale in 2021?
6. Umayyad Gold Dinar
The coin was made from pure gold and has intricate details such as Arabic calligraphy and an image of a hand holding wheat stalks.
This makes it even more valuable than other coins because it is so detailed and rare.
The coin also has many historical implications, including being part of a collection excavated from Atshan Palace in Baghdad during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
This coin was sold in 2011 for $6,026,400 and again in 2019 for $4,780,000!
7. 1804 $10 Proof Eagle
This coin was issued by the United States Mint from 1792 to 1933. Ladies and gentlemen, this exquisite coin, crafted from pure gold, was recently sold for a staggering $5,280,000 at the Heritage Auctions in 2021.
8. 1787 Brasher Doubloon
The Brasher Doubloon? Ah, yes, that’s a coin from 1787. At that time, it cost sixty dollars to make and weighed twenty-seven point six grams.
John Brasher made it and had to pay $10,000 for his coin design to be approved by Congress.
In March 2019, they auctioned one of these coins for $5,500,000 at Heritage Auctions.
9. 1822 Half Eagle
The 1822 Half Eagle is indeed a rare and expensive coin. In 1822, the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, minted a coin widely regarded as one of the most exceptional rarities ever produced by this coin-making institution.
This coin, my friends, is one of the most valuable gold coins you can find! There are only three of them in existence, and one of those is privately owned.
And what about the other two? They hold it at the Smithsonian Institution in the National Numismatic Collection.
In 2021, Stacks Bowers conducted an auction, and the coin was sold for $8,400,000.
10. 1794 Flowing Hair Dollar
The Flowing Hair dollar is the very first coin in the history of the United States to bear the words “United States of America” on its face. The coin was minted from 1794 to 1795.
But it’s sad to say that only 15,000 of these coins were produced, which makes it one of the most uncommon coins in circulation today.
Did you know that back in 2013, one of the coins was sold in a private auction for a whopping price of $12,000,000?
Before you go…
There are many more expensive coins than these ten, but this list is an excellent place to start your search for the most valuable ones. It’s also important to note that not all these coins have retained their value over time; some have even been lost or stolen. But if you find one of these rare coins, don’t forget where it came from and why it matters!
Check out my next article: “What is a Coin Collection Worth? And 5 of the Most Expensive Coins Sold!“
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