Bicentennial Quarter Worth Nearly $1 Million – Plus 6 Valuable Coins Over $25K in Value

Introduction:

A rare Bicentennial Quarter sold for nearly $1 million, sending shock waves through the coin-collecting community. For those hoping they might have hidden jewels in their spare change, this deal has renewed interest in coin collecting.

There are countless stories of unexpected riches in numismatics, the science and art of collecting coins. This is a unique 1976 quarter because it has an uncommon 40% silver content and superb minting quality. There are many variations of this coin that require extremely high prices:

• Double Die Obverse variation – $100,000+
• $95,000 off-center strike variation.
• specimens with Silver Planchet Errors-$90,000+
• Full Drum Lines with artifacts priced at $89,999+

These astronomical valuations serve to show how rare coins transcend their nominal worth to truly become highly sought-after treasures. The story of the Bicentennial Quarter is but one example of the fascinating world of precious coins, where rarity, artistry, and history come together to create remarkable value.

Rare coins bring riches far beyond the spectacular Bicentennial Quarter. These masterpieces are milestones in American numismatic history and command astronomical prices commensurate with their historical significance and rarity.

1. Flowing Hair Dollar (1794) – Over thirty million dollars!

A representation of early American artisan and economic freedom, the Lady Liberty with flowing locks on the obverse side of this famous coin has on the reverse an American eagle surrounded by a wreath. All details at the Philadelphia Mint are engraved by hand and struck in conscious technique.

• Characteristics to know:
• Composition Hand-struck in silver
• Size: 39 to 40mm
• Weight: 26.96 grams

One cannot overemphasize the historical value of this coin. Representing the nascent nation’s intention to create its very own monetary system apart from British money, America’s first silver dollar reflects, With an estimated 120-130 specimens surviving today, the Philadelphia Mint produced only 1,758 Flowing Hair Dollar in 1794.

2013 brought history a particularly well-preserved example known as the “Amon Carter” Flowing Hair Dollar. The world record at auction price this marvelous work sold at $10,016,875. Expert grading of these perfect examples by 2022 demonstrates their increasing strength in the marketplace to prominent collectors, over $30 million.

Identification Markings:

• Eagles have solid breast feathers.
• Liberty’s hair strands are strong and clear
• Strong quality with a sharp strike
• Very minimum wear, or touching markings

High-grade specimens are rare because of their early use in trade and the crude 18th-century minting methods. Well-preserved specimens are especially valuable to collectors and institutions since many surviving examples show notable wear or deterioration.

This page about the most precious Flowing Hair Silver Dollar might help you to have a better understanding of the amazing worth of these coins.

2. Liberty Head Nickel (1913) – Rarest US Coin

There are five known Liberty Head Nickels from 1913, and they’re highly intriguing. Although it was the year when the U.S. Mint officially took the design of Buffalo Nickel into the books, these variants were secretly produced within that year, when such nickels were not actually allowed to be minted.
Coin History

The tale begins with ex-Mint employee Samuel Brown, the first of these coins to appear in a 1920 ANA meeting. All the mystery surrounding their issuance only heightened their allure and worth, creating many arguments among collectors.

Each Sample’s History

Each of the five samples has a unique history:

• The Eliasberg specimen graded PR-66 and sold for $4.56 million.
• The Olsen specimen was featured in an episode of Hawaii Five-O.
• For many years, the Walton specimen had been lost and later found in a car accident.
• The McDermott specimen at the Smithsonian
• The Norweb specimen located in the ANA Money Museum

3. American coin collectors very much want these nickels. Their significance is derived from a multitude of factors:

• Unauthorized striking
• Extremely low mintage
• Historical importance
• Excellent preservation
• controversial start

One of the most expensive coins is the 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, which can sell for about $4 million for a single coin. Each auction gets quite a lot of media coverage, and the bidders among the high net worth collectors are fierce.

One outstanding example of artistic brilliance in American coins is the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle. Believing the current designs lacked artistic worth, President Theodore Roosevelt himself commissioned the great sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens to redesign American money.

Lady Liberty moving forward, torch in hand, and carrying an olive branch, the last $20 gold coin features the U.S. Capitol in the background. On the reverse, one can see a beautiful soaring eagle against a rising sun. The design of the coin gained hitherto unheard-of richness and dimension from Saint-Gaudens’ painstaking work.

The ultra-rare 1907 Ultra High Relief variety is especially sought after by collectors. In the auction setting, these are selling for over $7 million. There are about 20 known specimens; in 2021 a perfect specimen sold for a record amount of $7.59 million for this style.

Characteristics Affecting Value:

• Very High Relief striking
• Variations in wire rills
• Variations in Roman numeral date notation
• Test specimens
• Sans-serif writing for edges

This iconic coin has inspired generations of artists and engravers to create designs on American coins. The American Gold Eagle bullion coins that appeared in 1986 continue this creative tradition. People buy these items for the gold content but also for the remarkable numismatic artistic quality.

4. Brasher Doubloon, the first American gold coin from 1787

As the symbol of early American genius and innovation, the Brasher Doubloon was actually a work conceived by Ephraim Brasher of New York, a silver-smith who is a great artist in his trade. It marks the early years of gold coining in America when that nation’s monetary system was not fully established yet.

The workmanship that went into the Coin

The very respected metalworker Brasher made these coins in his workshop at 5 Cherry Street in New York City near George Washington. Each doubloon has his distinctive “EB” punch mark, which would become the stuff of legend among currency collectors. It also contains 26.66 grams of gold.

Brasher Doubloon Design Requirements

The coin design calls for:

• Obverse: A rising sun above mountains with a seascape front and center
• Reverse: An eagle holding an olive branch and arrows while wearing spread wings
• Edge: “NOVAEBORACA COLUMBIA EXCELSIOR” (America, New York, Ever Higher)

rarity and value

There are only seven Brasher Doubloons remaining today, which puts them at the top of the list for the rarest coins in the world. One such example that sold at Heritage Auctions in 2021 captures both the great rarity of the coin as well as its historical significance.

Significance in American History

Every surviving Brasher Doubloon stands for a page in the history of America’s journey toward financial independence. Those coins minted at such a momentous time as the United States was developing its new, independent national coin system instead of British coins marked a turning point in American numismatics because they represented that emerging country’s promise to produce gold coins.

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