These 11 Rare Coins Sold for Over $1 Million
An American coin at face value, whether it be heads or tails, might just seem worth the denomination or amount stamped on it. While that may have been true at one point in history, over time coins can become rare collectibles that are sold for thousands, if not millions, of dollars in the present day.
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That’s because the United States has been minting coins since 1793. Up until the 20th century, many coins were composed of basic metals like gold and silver, that is until gold was banned from coinage by way of executive order in 1933 and silver was watered out of production by the early 1970s.
However, just because the recipe and ingredients changed doesn’t mean that these coins are not still out there, adding up in value due to their rarity and backstory.
GOBankingRates dug into the history of some of these hard-to-find and now incredibly valuable coins that are sought by collectors around the globe. What makes these coins earn their current-day sales prices comes down to how many coins were originally produced throughout their mintage, as well as how many are currently still accounted for. The materials and composition of the coins also add to their value since many have become precious and hard to find themselves.
Take, for example, the 1792 Silver Center Cent J-1. It was originally worth 1 cent — the penny of its day — when it was initially minted and subsequently released to the American public. The composition was primarily copper surrounding a silver center. Not only do these unique qualities add to its value, but the fact that the coin has a special strike from a pattern the United States Mint designed in 1792 and then began testing in 1793. There are only an estimated 25 Silver Center Cent J-1 Special Strike coins floating around different collections today, with the highest sales price topping out at $2,520,000.
So the next time you are digging through an old jar of change in your grandparents’ attic or are sifting through a junk drawer tucked away in the far corners of a thrift store, you might want to keep your eye out for some rare coins that could be worth millions and millions of dollars.
Here are 10 more rare coins that sold for over $1 million, with prices and details sourced from SD Bullion.
1907 Extremely High Relief Double Eagle $20 (Proof)
Material Composition: Copper (10%), Gold (90%)
Mintage Amount: Approximately 16-22
Estimated Survival Amount: 15
Original Face Value: $20
Record Sale: $3,600,000
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1913 Liberty Head Nickel (Proof)
Material Composition: Nickel (25%), Copper (75%)
Mintage Amount: 5
Estimated Survival Amount: 5
Original Face Value: $0.05
Record Sale: $4,560,000
1804 Class I Draped Bust Silver Dollar $1 (Proof)
Material Composition: Copper (10%), Silver (90%)
Mintage Amount: 8
Estimated Survival Amount: 8
Original Face Value: $1
Record Sale: $7,680,000
1787 Brasher Doubloon $15, Breast Punch (Regular Strike)
Material Composition: Gold (Approx. 89%), Silver (Approx. 6%), Copper (Approx 3%), Trace Elements (2%)
Mintage Amount: Unknown
Estimated Survival Amount: 1
Original Face Value: $15
Record Sale: $2,999,000
1885 Trade Dollar T$1 (Proof)
Material Composition: Copper (10%), Silver (90%)
Mintage Amount: 5
Estimated Survival Amount: 5
Original Face Value: $1
Record Sale: $3,960,000
1804 Eagle $10 Plane 4, Deep Cameo (Proof)
Material Composition: Gold (91.7%,) Copper (8.3%)
Mintage Amount: 6
Estimated Survival Amount: 3
Original Face Value: $10
Record Sale: $5,280,00
1861 Double Eagle $20 Paquet Reverse (Regular Strike)
Material Composition: Copper (10%), Gold (90%)
Mintage Amount: 2,976,453
Estimated Survival Amount: 2
Original Face Value: $20
Record Sale: $7,200,000
1822 Capped Head Half Eagle $5 BD-1 (Regular Strike)
Material Composition: Copper (8.3%), Gold (91.7%)
Mintage Amount: 17,796
Estimated Survival Amount: 3
Original Face Value: $5
Record Sale: $8,400,000
1974 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar $1 (Special Strike)
Material Composition: Copper (10%), Silver (90%)
Mintage Amount: Unknown
Estimated Survival Amount: 1
Original Face Value: $1
Record Sale: $10,016,875
1933 Double Eagle $20 (Regular Strike)
Material Composition: Copper (10%), Gold (90%)
Mintage Amount: 445,500
Estimated Survival Amount: 16
Original Face Value: $20
Record Sale: $18,872,250
Note: All information is up to date as of Nov. 9, 2023.
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