In 2007, I first stepped into the world of investing in rare coins, because I thought that they were undervalued at the time. Fast forward a few years, and the coin markets have gone through a lot of fluctuations.
More recently, I've started to focus on buying rarer and lower minted coins. I've found that these coins have had a better time in maintaining their value and have seen more of increase compared to just basic gold or silver.
My high end taste is in the $200-$300 range, so don't think for a second that I'm investing anywhere close to these extremely rare coins. In researching for this article, I thought that most of the high end coins would sell for near a million. I didn't realize how high some of the world's rarest coins were actually going for. So without further adieu, here are the top five most valuable coins.
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1794 Flowing Hair Dollar – $10,016,875 – sold in January 2013 – the finest of all remaining flowing hair dollars, this beauty is one of the rarest coins in the world. In 1993 it was estimated that only 120 of these coins were in existence. - 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle – $7,590,020 – this gem had been the highest valued coin in the world from 2002 until the 2013 Flowing Hair Dollar sold. It was minted in the United States with 445,500 being originally produced, but all but two were saved from being melted. Later on it was discovered that about 19 more were discovered, and nine have been destroyed by the secret service. Because of this extreme rarity and beauty it made this gold Double Eagle one of the most valuable coins ever!
- 1787 Brasher Doubloon – EB on Breast – $7,400,000 – this privately minted coin was produced in the United States. It had a very limited mint number, and was one of the US's first gold minted coins. It fetched an astounding $7.4 million at a auction in December 2011.
- 723 Umayyad Gold Dinar – $6,029,400 – this Roman coin, that was produced in 723 A.D., is one of my personal favorites. It is reported that only two of these coins exist today, and this $6 million beauty was sold in April 2011.
- 1804 $10 Proof Eagle United States – $5,000,000 – another piece of US numismatic history was the production of the 1804 $10 gold eagle proof. The proof which is dated 1804 was actually produced in 1834 and is one of only four coins produced. This gem was sold to a private entrepreneur in 2007 for $5 million, and previously sold in 2003 for $1 million and 2005 for $2.47 million. Not a bad rate of return if you ask me.
I love coin collecting, but these extreme price levels are a whole different level of investing then I'm use too. It is amazing at how beautiful and rare that some of these coins are and what people are willing to pay to add them to their collection.
In my own collection my highest priced coin is a 1881 Carson City Silver Dollar from the Treasury, which has barely any value compared to some of these rare coins. I'd be interested to hear from our readers, and what is your most valuable coin? What is your most beautiful coin? How much would you be willing to invest in coins?
1 Comment
Oh man, I loooove Saint-Gaudens Double Eagles… Don’t have one in my collection yet (I’ll take any year/grade!) but one day I will. I get more thrills out of *trading* for coins than I do buying them. And so far no one has been willing to trade me one of those :)