The 10 Most Expensive Coins in the World
Sometimes, it’s hard to believe that our money can be worth more than its printed value.
However, it’s quite possible, as we’re about to show you and really just comes down to factors like age, rarity, printing errors and historical importance.
So, as you’ll see from our list, your money could be worth far more than its face value in the future, but you might have to wait a few centuries before you can go to auction!
Here’s a list of the 10 most expensive coins in the world…
The 10 Most Expensive Coins in the World
The list of coins and figures mentioned below have been compiled from various sources around the web, such as Money Inc, Mental Floss & The Spruce Crafts.
These are the 10 most expensive coins in the world:
10. Liberty Head Nickel (1913) – Hawai Five-O Star
Cost: $3.7 Million
The first coin on the list is a 1913 Liberty head nickel, which was used in one of the 1970’s TV series, Hawai Five-O.
The coin was used mainly for any close-up work in the series, and coins of lesser value were brought in to do anything more dangerous, which could potentially devalue the coin.
It’s believed that the coin was one of five original Liberty Head Nickels, that was stolen from the mint by an ex-employee and somehow made their way into private auctions and coin collections.
The Liberty Head Nickel was last sold at auction, by Heritage Auctions in 2007 for $3,737,500.
9. Bust Dollar – Class 1 – Dexter-Poque Specimen (1804)
Cost: $3.8 Million
Next up, we have an 1804 Bust Collar, Class 1 coin, worth $3.8 million dollars.
This particular coin is extremely unique and valuable, due to its long-standing history, and having a small “D” printed in one of the clouds on the reverse of the coin, which indicated that it coin belonged to a very wealthy Numismatist, named James V. Dexter.
The coin was first discovered in Germany in 1804 and is highly desirable amongst coin collectors, as there are only eight known class 1 coins ever made.
Coined approximately 183 years ago, the Bust Dollar Class 1 sold at auction on March 31st, 2017, by Stack’s Bowers Galleries & Sotherby’s, for $3,865,750.
8. $1 Million Gold Canadian Maple Leaf (2007)
Cost: $4.02 Million
Selling for an eye-watering $4,020,000 in June 2010, by Dorotheum Auction House, Vienna, Austria, the Gold Maple Leaf coin is one of the most expensive coins in the world.
It was the worlds first million-dollar coin, produced by the Canadian mint in 2007.
The coin is made of 99.999% pure gold and weighs in at an impressive 100 kilograms.
The idea for creating such a coin came about in order to promote the Royal Canadian Mints new line of 99.999% pure one Troy ounce Gold Maple leaf bullion coins.
As it currently stands, only five of these coins have been purchased by coin collectors from around the globe.
7. Silver Dollar Class 1 – 1804 – (The Watters-Childs Specimen)
Cost: $4.1 Million
Coming in at number seven on our list of the most expensive coins in the world is the Silver Dollar Class 1, 1804.
Selling for $4.1 million dollars in August 1999, the specimen of the “King of U.S Coins” is the worlds best-known example of an 1804 Silver dollar.
It has been graded, proof-68, by the Professional Coin Grading Service and, in 1999, it was the worlds most expensive coin, beating out the previous leader by more than double.
The coin has had some rather impressive owners over the years, including, The Sultan of Muscat, Henry Chapman, Virgil Brand and the Poque family.
In 2016, the coin was put up for auction once again, receiving an eye-watering offer of $10,575,000, which was the most amount of money ever to be offered for a coin!
However, the coin did not end up selling for that price as the offer did not meet the reserve price of the auction.
So, the 1804 Silver Dollar Class 1 Watters-Childs Specimen, is still valued at $4.1 million dollars.
6. Liberty Head Nickel – Morton-Smith-Eliaspberg (1913)
Cost: $4.5 Million
The Morton-Smith-Eliaspberg Liberty Head Nickel reached $4,560,000 dollars at auction in 2018.
One of only five known specimens, this version is considered to be the finest known example on the planet.
One of the reasons for its value and rarity is its beautiful mirror-like surface.
It’s the only one, out of the five, that’s finished like this, making it even more valuable to collectors and coin enthusiasts.
However, there is some controversy surrounding this coin, as there are no official production records from the mint that exist.
But, it’s still been graded, varying from MS-62 Proof 64 from Professional Coin Graders.
So, the next time this one comes up for auction, bear that in mind!
5. Edward III Florin (1343)
Cost: $6.8 Million
The oldest coin on our list, approximately 670 years old to be exact, is currently valued at just under $7 million.
The coins value is mainly derived from its age, and it’s thought to be one of only three of the same coins to have survived the centuries thus far.
Not only is this coin one of the most expensive coins in the world, but it’s also one of the rarest, and it’s highly likely that no other identical coins will ever be found.
The coin, that’s currently valued at $6.8 million dollars, was found in 2006 and was sold at auction in the same year.
The two remaining coins, found in the River Tyne in 1857, are currently on display in the British Museum.
4. Brasher Doubloon (1787)
Cost: $7.4 Million
The 1787 Brasher Doubloon, was the result of one man’s goal to convince the New York State to use copper coins instead of gold.
However, the State did not agree with Ephriam Brashers plan and said that they didn’t want any new coins to be made of copper.
Mr Brasher, being the talented Goldsmith he was, ignored the state and decided to mint new coins anyway, mainly in Bronze, but also minting a few 22-carat gold coins on the side.
Because these coins are so rare and have such an interesting story, they’re considered to be extremely valuable and highly sort after.
In 2011, a Wall Street Investment Firm purchased one coin at auction for $7.4 million dollars.
3. Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle (1907)
Cost: $7.6 Million
The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle 1907 is a coin that proved to be more difficult to produce in large quantities than expected.
Its complicated design led to a holt in production, meaning something had to change.
The decision was the responsibility of “Charles Barber”, the U.S Mints chief engraver, who chose to remove the words, “In God We Trust” from the coin.
However, this did not go down well with Congress, but the coin still went through production anyway and is now worth an absolute fortune… $7.6 million dollars to be precise!
2. Double Eagle (1933)
Cost: $7.6 Million
The next round of Double Eagles, minted in 1933, got recalled from the general public and melted by the mint, due to the then President, Theodore Roosevelt, banning anyone from owning gold.
This was because he thought it would help the banking crisis that was happening at the time, however, somehow a small amount of 1993 dated Double Eagles escaped from the mint’s vaults.
Now interestingly, it’s still illegal to own one of these coins, and if you’re found with one, it will be seized immediately.
However, one private owner managed to acquire a coin, which was originally owned by King Farouk of Egypt and was then forced to sell the coin and split the proceeds with the U.S mint.
The 1933 Double Eagle sold at auction in 2002 for $7,590,020.
1. Flowing Hair Silver/Copper Dollar (1794/5)
Cost: $10 Million
The most expensive coin in the world is the 1794/5 Flowing Hair Silver/Copper Dollar.
Several expert Numismatic researchers believe that this was the very first silver coin to be minted and issued by the U.S Federal Government.
It set a new world record for the most expensive single coin sale ever in 2013, selling for just over $10 million dollars.
The United States Mint first opened its doors in 1792, only minting copper and patterned coins for two years, before moving on to mint silver coins.
Coin collectors have managed to preserve this historic and highly valuable coin for more than 200 years, which adds even more value to the coins story and price tag.
Selling for $10 million dollars in 2013, the Flowing Hair Silver/Copper Dollar is the most expensive coin in the world.
Summary
We hope you enjoyed our list of the 10 most expensive coins in the world.
It’s astonishing to think a $1 or $20 coin could be worth millions of dollars today, just because of a few missing words or printing errors, but that’s the facts!
If you’re thinking about starting a coin collection, then perhaps you can use this list as inspiration for your collection in the future.
If you liked this list, you might want to check out the one we published more recently on the most expensive precious metals.
Here’s a quick recap of the 10 most expensive coins in the world:
- Flowing Hair Silver/Copper Dollar – 1794 – $10 Million
- Double Eagle – 1933 – $7.6 Million
- Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle – 1907 – $7.6 Million
- Brasher Doubloon – 1787 – $7.4 Million
- Edward III Florian – 1343 – $6.8 Million
- Liberty Head Nickel – Mortan-Smith-Eliasberg – 1913 – $4.5 Million
- Silver Dollar Class 1 – 1804 – (The Watters-Childs Specimen) – $4.1 Million
- $1 Million Gold Maple Leaf – 2007 – $4.02 Million
- Bust Dollar – Class 1 Dexter -Poque Specimen – 1804 – $3.8 Million
- Liberty Head Nickel – Hawai-Five-O Star – 1913 – $3.7 Million
What’s your favourite most expensive coin? Leave a comment below.
Matt McIntyre is a digital marketing consultant and certified marketing strategist. When he's not talking about business or marketing, you'll find him in the gym.
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