INTRODUCTION:
The 1976 Bicentennial quarter is an important piece of American history, being specially designed on the reverse as a colonial drummer and the victory torch to mark America’s 200 years old. Recently, the whole world of coin collection stunned with an incredible discovery, including a rare version of that quarter worth almost $10 million USD!
But this amazing coin is just one example of the many valuable coins out there. In fact, six other coins have also been found, each worth over $500,000. This tells us an interesting story about American coins and the passion of collectors.
The $10 Million Bicentennial Quarter: A Closer Look
This is truly the ultimate Bicentennial Quarter in numismatic perfection as it exhibits all the characteristic features that make it a piece unlike millions of others. Minted with an excellent striking quality, this quarter has sharpness on the eagle’s feathers and on the intricate uniform of the drummer boy at the back.
The coin’s tour of the high-end auction houses had already sent waves into the collecting community. In a Heritage Auctions sale, it began at a modest $1 million before erupting immediately into an extremely hot three-way contest of anonymous bidders, pushing bids past $5 million and then $7 million before finally hammering it down for a dizzying $9.84 million.
Notable Coins Valued Over $500,000: A Collector’s Dream List:
The world of rare coin collecting holds treasures that go beyond just their monetary worth. These numismatic masterpieces represent crucial moments in American history, with prices that reflect their exceptional importance.
1.1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar:
1794 Flowing Hair Silver Dollar. The Bicentennial Quarter of the year 1976 is an artifact of American history; it was minted to commemorate the country’s 200 years of existence since its establishment, on the back of this coin, the colonial drummer and victory torch are alive. Well, something miracle suddenly happened in the coin collector world yesterday – a nearly $10 million USD version of this quarter was found!
Actually, there are a lot of such examples of this wondrous coin. Actually, six other coins also have been discovered, every one of which is worth above $500,000. It tells an interesting story about American coins and the passion of collectors.
Coin collecting is all about finding rare and well-preserved pieces. Certain things can make a coin worth a lot more money:
When all these aspects come together, regular coins may become highly sought-after items worth a lot of money. The story of the Bicentennial Quarter is about how sometimes those coins that look so dull can be worth so much. It encourages collectors to look closer at their own collections and learn more about what they have.
2. 1913 Liberty Head Nickel:
A 1913 Liberty Head Nickel is an interesting and very scarce coin. These nickels were not supposed to be produced-they were not supposed to be made because the U.S. Mint had officially adopted the Buffalo Nickel design in 1913.However, five Liberty Head Nickels with the 1913 date somehow appeared.
The story begins with Samuel Brown, a former Mint employee who first showcased these coins at a numismatic convention in 1920. Each of these coins has legendary status among collectors: Recently sold for $4.2 million, a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel, is one of the great numismatic points of convergence for America with mystery, an element of mystique added to its values by illegal issues.
3. 1933 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle:
The Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is one of the most impressive treasures of coinage. And here is why:
The Great Depression and Executive Order 6102
One of the most decisive acts undertaken by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the context of the Great Depression was when he issued Executive Order 6102, prohibiting the private possession of gold. This act gave a severe setback to the manufacture and distribution of gold coins like the Double Eagles.
The Artistic Heritage of Augustus Saint-Gaudens:
The Double Eagle bears the image of Lady Liberty walking boldly with a torch in one hand and an olive branch in another. The reverse side contains the image of an eagle elegantly floating through the sky. This classic sculpture was ordered by the President Theodore Roosevelt himself, upon the request of the American sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens.
4.1804 Silver Dollar:
The 1804 Silver Dollar is perhaps the most mysterious treasure among coin collectors. Although dated, the coins were not minted during this date. In fact, these coins were minted during the 1830s as the U.S. State Department ordered their minting for special gifts to influential foreign leaders.
Three Classes of 1804 Silver Dollars
There are only 15 known authentic 1804 Silver Dollars. They were divided into three classes:
- Class I (8 pieces): Struck between 1834 and 1835
- Class II (1 coin): Struck over an 1857 Swiss Shooting Thaler
- Class III (6 pieces): Created in the 1850s
5.1870-S Seated Liberty Dollar
Only nine 1870-S Seated Liberty Dollars are known to exist. Although the coins were made in San Francisco, how and under what circumstances remain a mystery since the records that should have documented them were not found.
Every existing specimen has a story behind it about American coinage history. A highest graded example graded with an MS-62 brought $1.3 million from an auction in 2008. The coin contains the depiction of Lady Liberty sitting on a rock. She held a shield at her right hand and held a staff with her left hand.
6. 1943 Copper Penny:
An interesting piece is the Copper Penny of 1943, representing wartime confusion and blunders in production. The U.S. Mint had been directed to coin pennies from zinc-coated steel instead of copper since the country needed all available copper for the war effort.
However, in an interesting accident, leftover copper blanks from 1942 became stuck in the coin press hoppers. So, they were mixed up with newly minted steel versions. It resulted in a highly rare lot of copper pennies. And it is documented that today, only 40 such copper specimens survive.
The rarity of the pennies caused immense curiosity among collectors, with pieces authenticated selling for $100,000 to $1.7 million. A copy of the most expensive example was found by Don Lutes Jr. when he was rummaging through his school cafeteria’s change in 1947, and it sold at an auction in 2019 for $204,000.
Conclusion:
One of the hobbies, interesting yet great investments in nature is coin collecting. That Bicentennial Quarter goes to prove the wonderful surprise that may come as regular currency.