We’re guessing there are not many 700-year-old coins floating around, and that few are popping into the gold market. Age contributes strongly to rarity and clearly a fair amount to the coins $680 thousand value. This is the second-oldest coin in the top-30 of what are the most expensive coins in the world. So what makes a coin rare? Age is not enough to join the top 5 list. It is also the only silver/copper coin on our list.
This is the first coin ever circulated by the US Federal Mint, which had just been created that year. Lady Liberty makes another appearance on our list of what are the most expensive coins in the world. A few made it on the market however, and are now each worth about $7.6 million. Or should we say on the face of the coin, as she is engraved on a 1933 coin that should never have been released. Sticking with the American theme, it’s time for Lady Liberty to have her turn in the spotlight. This is a 22-karat gold coin that was never meant for circulation but was always meant to be held in the coveted hands of a rich investor. One of the first artifacts to explicitly make reference to what is now Saudi Arabia, it is a highly treasured coin.Ĭoming in at $7.4 million dollars, this beautiful coin was designed and manufactured in New York. Having sold for just shy over $6 million USD in 2011, this treasured coin is said to coincide in production with the Caliph's pilgrimage to Mecca. In 2007, one of these was sold (graded by NGC) for over $5 million. As best we know, the mintage was around 3,000 pieces and less than 100 exist today and very few in mint condition. This $10 coin is one of the most famous ever produced in the United States. #5 - 1804 Capped Bust (to Right) "Turban Head" Eagle Our Top 5 List of what are the Most Expensive Coins in the World: Second, as a form of currency, they cost a more few cents to produce. Such is the case with rare gold coins, which often date back hundreds of years and carry an interesting political history.įirst of all, many consider these top 5 most expensive coins in the world as testament to the fact that gold might make more sense than billions of paper dollars. Sometimes, though, a piece of currency has an appropriate value. Does it not seem strange that governments can arbitrarily print more cheap paper money? It certainly de-values the authenticity of a currency when it can be printed at will for such a cheap cost. While it’s not surprising that it costs less to produce than it's actual worth, what does seem surprising is the fact that we use such cheap material for currency.
It costs around 5 cents to produce a single paper dollar. On the Federal Reserve website, they have listed the manufacturing costs, for those who are curious. This famed currency is arguably the most valuable currency in the world, costs the government next to nothing to manufacture. Yet, it has almost nothing to do with the intrinsic value. In other words, determining what are the most expensive coins in the world has much to do with market value. The paper, and even most metal alloys that today's global currencies are crafted is worth so much less than what we trade it for. The funny thing about currency is that, as a material entity, it’s relatively worthless. What are the Most Expensive Coins in the World?