Money has long become an integral part of human civilization. Now you will not surprise anyone with virtual currency and paper banknotes, but the question of which coins are the most expensive in the world is of constant interest. Many of them are rare, true works of art, and some were made under very unusual circumstances.
Whether you're collecting coins as a hobby or just exploring the history behind their creation, we hope this list of high-value coins grabs your attention.
We did not include coins in our top 10, which were made only as a marketing gimmick and will never be sold. These rarities include the Australian 1 Tonne Gold Kangaroo Coin, with a face value of one million Australian dollars and a weight of 1012 kg. After a promotional tour of Europe, the coin is on permanent display at the Gold Show of the Australian Mint.
10.Silver dollar, 1804
Sale price: $ 3.7 million
Although the date is 1804, none of the coins were minted this year. In 1834, several diplomatic gift sets were issued by order of the American government. They included popular coins of that time. But there were no silver dollars dated 1804, because 1803 stamps were used to create them. I had to urgently correct this oversight.
The seventh US President Andrew Jackson presented the kits to the heads of several Asian states, including the King of Siam, and the emperors of China and Japan.
9. Liberty Head, 1913
Sale price: $ 3.7 million
Due to the low denomination (5 cents) and the small circulation, the "Head of Freedom" has not been preserved in the best condition. If a flawless copy was found, its price could be $ 20 million. But so far, this is not the most expensive coin in the world. Its price not only did not increase, but also decreased over time. The original owner paid over $ 3.7 million for it, and in January 2014 it was sold for just $ 3,290 million. For comparison: price the most expensive coin of modern Russia - 300 thousand rubles, or about 5 thousand dollars.
In the 1970s, the television series Hawaii 5.0 was released, which featured the Head of Liberty, but it did not add value to the coin either. Its original was used for large-scale filming, and a regular nickel coin was used for frames in which the date could not be distinguished, in order to reduce the risk of damage to an expensive item.
8. South African pound, 1898
Sale price: 4 million dollars
South Africa's rarest gold coin, the 1898 Single 9, was minted in 1899 during the Boer War. The country could not produce an imprint for minting, and decided to send the old stamp for alteration to Germany. However, he ended up in the hands of the British.
Undaunted, the employees of the South African treasury printed the number 9 on the coin. However, such a copy was unique; on subsequent dates, 1899 was correct.
7. "Queen Elizabeth II", 2007
Sale price: 4 million dollars
The size of a coffee table, this 2007 Canadian gold coin weighs 100 kilograms and has a face value of US $ 1 million (£ 607,000). It was purchased by a consortium of international buyers.
6. Brasher's doubloon with the initials "EB" on the wing, 1787
Sale price: 4.5 million dollars
This beautiful coin was made in New York by the goldsmith and silversmith Ephraim Brasher. It was never intended for mass circulation, but it is quite suitable to become an adornment of the collection of a wealthy numismatist.
By weight (26.66 g) Brasher's doubloon was very close to Spanish gold doubloons. It was estimated at 15 dollars.
The maker's initials are engraved on the eagle's wing.
5. Golden Dinar, 723
Sale price: 6 million dollars
The issue of this gold coin supposedly coincides with the pilgrimage of the ruler of the Umayyad Caliphate to Mecca. It is one of the first artifacts to explicitly refer to the country now known as Saudi Arabia. There is an inscription on the coin stating that the dinar was made of gold from the mine of the caliph himself.
4. Florin Edward III, 1343
Sale price: 6.8 million dollars
One of the oldest and rarest coins on our list. Known as the "double leopard", a florin in denominations of about six shillings was in circulation in medieval England from December 1343 to July 1344.
The obverse of the coin depicts a king seated on a throne under a canopy, with two leopards on the sides, while the reverse depicts the Royal Cross and leopards. However, the minting of the coin was very quickly stopped, and only three copies have survived to this day.
3. Brasher's doubloon with the initials "EB" on the chest, 1787
Sale price: 7.3 million dollars
This gold coin was not sold at open auction, the owners - Blanchard and Company - transferred it into the hands of a private collector.
Unlike the doubloon, which sold for $ 4.5 million, this version has the jeweler's initials engraved on the eagle's chest.
2. Double Eagle, 1933
Sale price: 7, 5 million dollars
The double eagle gold coin originally cost $ 20. She could become one of the most beautiful banknotes in the world. However, in 1933 the United States was gripped by a financial crisis. And President Theodore Roosevelt issued an order to abolish the so-called "gold standard" and to withdraw and melt all gold "Double Eagles".
Somehow a handful of banknotes survived, although they were banned. The Eagles cannot be owned by an individual at this time and will be confiscated by the United States government if discovered. Except for one "Golden Eagle", which originally belonged to the Egyptian king Farouk.
The sold copy of the coin belonged to the British Steven Fenton. After a long legal battle, the US Mint and Fenton agreed to sell the coin and split the proceeds.
The buyer had to pay an extra $ 20 to the mint to legalize their coin.
1. Freedom "Loose hair", 1794
Sale price: $ 10 million
The coin went down in history as the first silver dollar created by the US government. The venerable age and enormous rarity of the coin make it a desirable acquisition for any sufficiently wealthy collector.
On one side of the dollar is Lady Liberty with flowing hair, on the other side is a bald eagle framed by a beautiful wreath. There are 8 stars to the left of the Freedom Head, and 7 stars to the right. It is a symbol of the 15 states that were part of the United States at the time the dollar was released into circulation.
Each coin included in the ranking of the most expensive coins has an extraordinary history and is closely related to the past of different cultures. And all these coins, from medieval English to early American ones, are truly priceless, if not in monetary terms, then in historical terms.