Most Valuable U.S. Coins That Collectors Go Crazy For

Even though the U.S. is one of the younger countries of the world, its coinage can be worth an insane amount.

Even though the U.S. is one of the younger countries of the world, its coinage can be worth an insane amount compared to other collectible coins produced around the globe.

In fact, these five most valuable U.S. coins are among the top 10 most valuable in the world. So, which ones are worth the most and why? Let’s find out…

5. 1913 Liberty Head Nickel

Stack’s Bowers

Sold at auction: $4.56 million

Only five 1913 Liberty Head Nickels were struck, which makes them quite unique among coin collectors. This one that sold at auction for $4.56 million in 2018 is the most valuable of its kind. Originally purchased by Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. in 1948, it’s become known as the Eliasberg specimen, and its glittering mirror surface is like that of a proof coin.

Of the four others, two are now held by public institutions. The McDermott coin — owned by a Mr. McDermott who liked to carry it in his pocket and show it off — is the lowest quality and is on display at the ANA Money Museum in Colorado Springs. The other is the Norweb coin, which is on display at the Smithsonian.

This particular 1913 Liberty Head Nickel was also the first coin to ever be sold for at least $1 million at auction in 1996.

4. 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar

Stack’s Bowers

Sold at auction: $4,993,750

The first American dollars were produced in 1794, so this coin is one of the oldest in the nation. There was only one variety of die used for the 1794 dollar, and it was supposedly retired that year.

This mint-state silver dollar is one of two that was kept for almost 170 years in a Chippendale cabinet that originally belonged to Lord St. Oswald, and it’s one of six that has been professionally graded.

What makes this coin so unique is that the first three stars on the coin are full, and the image of Liberty is distinctly struck. This coin is among the earlier strikes, as coins produced later showed more die-lapping and softer images.

3. 1787 Brasher Doubloon, EB Punch on Wing

Heritage Auctions

Private sale: $5,000,000+

The oldest coin on this list, the Brasher doubloon was made by Ephraim Brasher, who was George Washington’s neighbor in New York City after the Revolutionary War.

Each of these coins is stamped with the EB initials. This one is the finest of the seven coins of this type known to exist — six of which have the creator’s hallmark EB punched on the wing, while one has it on the breast.

2. 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle

Jaclyn Nash / Wikimedia Commons

Sold at auction: $7,590,020

President Franklin Roosevelt ordered for all 1933 $20 coins (except for two reserved for the Smithsonian Institute) to be destroyed before they were declared legal currency, so this coin should never have even left the mint.

But in the 1940s and 1950s, nine were discovered and seized by the Secret Service so that they could be melted down, while another somehow ended up in Egyptian King Farouk’s collection. It disappeared when Kinig Farouk’s collection was sold in 1954 and reappeared in 1995 in the possession of London coin dealer Stephen Fenton. This mysterious finding even started a court battle over whether the coin could legally be owned — with Fenton and the U.S. Mint eventually splitting the proceeds of the sale.

The coin’s current owner remains anonymous and claims not to be a coin collector.

1. 1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar

Stack’s Bowers

Sold at auction: $10,016,875

With a grade of “Specimen,” the strike of this coin is the same as the one previously mentioned and is believed to be an initial “test” strike, which is why the two coins are the only ones with this specific pattern. Later strikes of these coins have evidence of die clashing, which results in less distinct features and imperfect die alignment that causes uneven images.

This coin also has a deep mirror reflection that is a proof-like surface.

For more valuable coin stories, check out: