5 Rarest and Most Valuable Coins in the World… Where Are They?

• Posted on 24th December 2023
• in Antique Coins
• by Antique Coins Buyers

---

Coins have an intrinsic value all on their own. However, they are made even more valuable because they are famous collector’s items. Antique coin buyers and antique coin dealers consider a few factors when determining the value of a coin. The most crucial factor is the mintage, or how many coins of a particular type were minted in a year. Over time, the number of coins of a specific mintage dwindles as they are destroyed. That means the number of coins remaining in circulation helps set the value.

The demand for a particular type of coin among rare coin buyers also determines its value. The melt value of the metal that a coin is made of (gold, silver, copper, nickel, etc.) also helps determine its value. The grade and condition of a coin also influence its value to local coin buyers. Finally, the amount of dealer stock of a particular coin helps determine its value. When all those factors combine correctly, the result is a rare coin of tremendous value. This article will look at the five rarest and most valuable coins in the world. Rare coin collectors fantasize about these!

#5. 1804 Silver Dollar- Class 1 (the Watters-Childs Specimen)

Image Source – Wiki

The 1804 Silver Dollar-Class 1 (the Watters-Childs Specimen) is a rare and beautiful example of early U.S. currency. The front features the Grecian profile of a woman with flowing hair with a bow, a draped bust, and a Grecian profile surrounded by Liberty, stars, and the date 1804. It was sold for $4,140,000 on August 30, 1990, by Bowers & Merena. Its superior condition, historical significance, and ownership by the Sultan of Muscat got another bid of $10,575,000 when it was put up for auction again in 2016. However, that failed to reach the consignor’s reserve price and was not sold.

#4. 1913 Liberty Head Nickle

  Image Source – Wiki

Graceful and elegant, the 1913 Liberty Head nickel features Lady Liberty’s head in profile surrounded by stars, with 1913 stamped underneath on the front of the coin. It was sold for $4,560.00 in August of 2018 by Stack’s Bowers at the ANA U.S. Coins Auction in Philadelphia, PA. Its value was driven by the fact that it is only one of five surviving Liberty Head nickels and its superior condition. It has a striking reflective surface (mirror quality) on the field. It is the only five with that quality, earning its price tag.

#3.1933 Double Eagle

                                                                                                                       

Image Source – Wiki

This 1933 Double Eagle twenty-dollar gold piece features the personification of Liberty on the front, dressed in a toga and presenting a torch in one hand and an olive branch in the other. The U.S. Capitol building is depicted beneath her feet, and she has stars around her. The words Liberty and 1933 are embossed on the front. The back has an eagle in flight with In God We Trust and a sun rising underneath it. It was sold for $7,590,020 on July 30, 2002, by Sotheby’s and Stacks. When President Roosevelt issued an executive order recalling all the Double Eagle coins, they were melted by the U.S. Mint. A handful escaped being melted and are illegal to own. King Farouk of Egypt owned this one. A deal was struck by the private owner and the Mint to sell this one and split the proceeds.

#2. 1787 Brasher Dubloo

Image Source – Wiki

The Brasher Dubloon is a beautiful and rare coin. It features the classic image of an eagle on the front, clutching an olive branch in one claw and a quiver of arrows in the other. It is encircled with the motto “E Pluribus Unum. Made of gold (which has the best melt value), it was minted in 1787 by Ephraim Brasher. Its status as the first U.S. gold coin minted five years before the U.S. mint even opened gives it special status among rare coin buyers. Three separate specimens of this coin have recently been sold for millions of dollars each. One was sold for $4,582,500 on January 9, 2014, at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. Another was sold to a private collector for $7,395,000 in December 2011 by Blanchard and Company. Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, sold A third one for a whopping $9,360,000 on January 21, 2021.

#1. Flowing Hair Silver Dollar

 

Image Source – coinweek

The Flowing Hair Silver Dollar is a striking and elegant example of some of the earliest silver dollars minted by the United States. The front features the profile of a woman with flowing hair. Stars surround her, and she has Liberty engraved above her and the year 1794 below her. It was sold for a staggering $10,016,875 on January 24, 2013, by Stack’s Bowers Galleries. For over 200 years, antique coin buyers have preserved this coin in mint condition. It is only an example of an existing 1794 silver dollar with a mirror-like reflection on the fields and perfectly frosted devices. Antique coin dealers consider this a once-in-a-lifetimeonce-in-a-lifetime coin, earning the title of the world’s rarest and most valuable coin.

Tags: antique coin dealers, Antique Coins, Rare Coins, Rare Coins Dealers, Sell Old Rare Coins