1. Most Valuable Coin In The World
2. Most Expensive Coin In The World 2019
3. Most Expensive Coin In The World

The US has produced a large number of coins in its history, with many of them discontinued due to age or mint errors, and sometimes even as part of a change in government policies. Various collectors around the world now possess many of these historic coins, and some of them are so rare that for a long time their existence was considered folklore.

As one of the rarest Shield Nickel proofs, the 1877 coins are pretty valuable. One 1877 Shield Nickel proof with no rays was sold for $19,550. That particular coin had a nice patina with colors like periwinkle, mint-green, and lemon-gold. Known as the Mickley coin, it appears this coin may have entered circulation as Joseph J. Mickley reported he acquired the coin from a bank teller in Philadelphia. While it was not the first coin to sell for more than $1,000,000, it came close when it broke a world record, selling for $990,000 in 1989.

However, the advance of time and the growing interest in numismatics has brought some of these rare coins back into the fore, as more people start to dig them out of their collections. Below is a list of some of the rarest US coins you can find to date and their values.

1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle ($7.59 Million)

This is one of the rarest coins in existence and is one of the only coins on this list that almost never saw the light of day. In 1933, the US was in the middle of the great depression. In an attempt to end the 1930’s bank crisis, President Roosevelt issued an executive order discontinuing the gold standard, and making the possession of gold coins, gold bullion and gold certificates illegal for the public.

This order came after the Philadelphia Mint had produced 445,500 specimens of the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle 20 dollar gold coins. This meant that the coins never made it into circulation and were destroyed in late 1934 instead.

Officially, only two coins were spared destruction, both of which were presented to the US National Numismatic Collection by the US mint. However, the staff at the Mint managed to smuggle 20 coins out, saving them from the melting process.

The theft was discovered in 1944, and the US secret service managed to recover 19 coins. Nine of them were destroyed, while 10 are in storage after being seized in 2005 by the government.

The only known specimen in private hands is one that was bought by King Farouq of Egypt in 1944, just before the theft was discovered. It disappeared when he was deposed in 1952 but in 1996, the coin resurfaced again. The US government regained possession of it after an agreement was reached with the dealer in 2001. The government sold the coin at an auction to an anonymous bidder for $7.59 million, making it one of the most expensive coins in existence.

1943 Copper Penny ($60,000 to $200,000)

This coin, also known as the 1943 copper wheat penny is one of the rarest in the Lincoln cent series. Only about 40 of these coins were struck after an error occurred during the transition from copper to steel blanks. This error was discovered after World War II but to date only 12 have been confirmed to exist.

There have been numerous counterfeits created, either by modifying the dates on coins that were released later in that decade or by copper plating steel coins from the same year. The best way to test the authenticity of the coin would be to use a magnet, as the copper-plated coins are highly magnetic. A mint condition copper penny sold for over $200,000 in 2004 and the average value of the coin has been pegged at about $60,000.

The 1913 Liberty Head Nickel ($3.7 Million)

This five-cent coin was struck in very limited quantities as it was done without the approval of the US mint. It is one of the rarest and most coveted coins in numismatic circles, with only five examples ever being produced. Three of these are in private collections while the other two are in museums.

This coin series has broken very many records in the past. The first coin to break the $100,000 barrier was a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel in 1972, as was the first coin to break the $1 million barrier in 1996.

The most famous example of the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is the Olsen nickel, named after the famous numismatist Fred Olsen. Although it is not the best-preserved specimen in the series, it has the richest history, having changed hands numerous times since Olsen sold it to King Farouq of Egypt in the 1940s. It has even made an appearance on prime time television, having been the subject of an episode of Hawaii Five-O in 1973.

When it came up for auction in 2010, Heritage Auctions sold it for over $3.7 million to an anonymous bidder, making this one of the most expensive sales of the 21st century.

The 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar ($10 Million)

The flowing hair silver dollar was the first dollar coin to be issued by the US federal government. It was struck for only two years, 1794 and 1795, and was replaced in October 1795 by the draped bust dollar.

Its size and weight are based on the Spanish dollar, which was commonly used in trade in the Americas at the time. The series has been considered by numismatists to be one of the most valuable coins of all time. From as early as 1880, the flowing hair dollar has been dubbed as one of the most expensive and coveted collector’s items.

Previous owners have even called it a national treasure, due to its importance to American history. The last time one of these coins was brought under the hammer it was sold for over $10 million, making it the highest-valued coin in history.

1870-S Silver Dollar ($1 Million)

One of the things that make this dollar so unique is that it is unlisted in any mint reports in the country. They were struck in San Francisco just after the construction of the mint there was completed in 1870. Two reverse dies used to strike the coins were delivered by the Philadelphia mint without mint marks, necessitating the return of the dies to have this error corrected.

Speculation as to why the coins were struck without the mint marks and before the error was corrected, seems to suggest that the coins were struck with the intention of them becoming presentation pieces to be inserted in a cornerstone.

Twelve of these coins are said to be in existence, with one having been sold for just over $1 million at auction in 2003.

Money is something that we use to quantify the value of something. Each note or coin has a face value which is clearly shown, and this is the global system that is applied so that people can exchange money for products in the purchasing process. However, there are some coins that become significantly more valuable than their face value denotes. This is usually because they are extremely rare or very old. They may have been part of a limited production of a particular coin or be one of only a few remaining examples of a coin from a specific era in history. If this is the case, the coin becomes highly collectible and collectors are willing to pay huge sums of money to own the rare coins. Here are five of the most valuable coins that have been sold at auction and it may surprise you to learn how much someone was willing to pay to own such a small metallic object.

Most Valuable Coin In The World

5. Edward III Florin 1343 – $6.8 Million

It is the age of this coin that makes it as valuable as it is and is why someone was willing to pay $6.8 million for one at auction. When you consider that this coin has been around for more than 670 years, it is a wonder that any have survived. Just think about how many coins are lost from circulation over the years because people have dropped them down the drain or lost them down the back of the sofa. There are now only three known examples of an Edward III florin in existence. Therefore, it is one of the rarest of all the coins in the world.

4. The Brasher Doubloon 1787 – $7.4 Million

A Wall Street investment firm paid $7.4 million for a Brasher doubloon at auction. The coin was designed by Ephraim Brasher, who was a talented goldsmith. He wanted New York State to start minting coins using his design in copper. However, the state disagreed and said that they did not want coins made from copper. Brasher went ahead with his design anyway but minted most of the coins in bronze. He made just a few of 22-carat gold and it is these that are now so valuable.

3. The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle 1907 – $7.6 Million

This is another coin that has sold at auction for $7.6 million. The coin was originally designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Unfortunately, this design was extremely complicated and it posed a problem as to how the United States Mint could produce such a coin. To simplify the design for commercial production, the Mint’s chief engraver, Charles Barber, decided to make some modifications to the original design. He removed the phrase ‘In God We Trust’ from the design of the coin. Congress were not pleased with this modification so, although it was produced, only a limited number were made. For this reason, the coin is now extremely rare and valuable.

2. The Double Eagle 1933 – $7.6 Million

This coin has become so valuable because of a circumstantial quirk. This gold coin was pressed in 1933. However, the coin was never released into circulation. This was because President Franklin D. Roosevelt had banned everyone from owning gold in the same year. He did this as part of an attempt to bring the banking crisis to an end as the country’s financial situation was causing devastating problems in the United States at that time. Despite them never being officially released, twenty of these coins slipped through the net and these coins now have a staggering value.

Most Expensive Coin In The World 2019

1. The Flowing Hair Silver/ Copper Dollar 1794/5 – $10 million

Most Expensive Coin In The World

If only every dollar in your pocket was worth $10 million. Unfortunately, there is just one dollar in the world that has achieved this value at auction. You are probably wondering what makes this dollar so special compared to the dollars that are currently in circulation. Well, the highest valued dollar of all-time was the first dollar ever issued by the United States Federal Government. The coin dates back to either 1974 or 1975 and is made of 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. When this coin was minted, it was the first issued after the Federal Mint was founded. It is famous for depicting an image of Liberty with her flowing tresses. One of these coins was sold for $10 million in January 2013.