4 Coins From the 1920s That Are Worth a Lot of Money
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Levi Leidy
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The roaring (19)20s were famous for jazz, prohibition, speakeasies that defied prohibition — and the biggest stock market crash ever. A century later, the decade still holds a special place in American culture. If you own a piece of that culture in the form of a rare 1920s coin, you could be sitting on a big pile of money.
The most valuable coins from the 1920s can fetch seven figures on the collector’s market. Here’s a look at four coins from the 1920s that are worth a lot of money. Keep in mind that only coins in pristine condition will command the highest prices.
1921 Peace Silver Dollar: $67,500
A blog on the Professional Coin Grading Service website refers to the 1921 Peace Dollar as a “very interesting and extremely important” coin. That’s partly because this was the first year the series was issued, and partly because the 1921 version was struck in “very high relief” compared with others in the series.
According to the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) Price Guide, a Peace Dollar from 1921 in circulated condition is worth between $100 and $525 as of December 2024. However, a specimen in pristine, uncirculated condition can sell for as much as $67,500.
1926-S Buffalo Nickel: $135,000
The 1926-S nickel had a mintage “not much lower” than that of the 1931-S issue, according to NGC, but it’s much rarer in mint condition. NCG estimates that only a few hundred of the 1926 versions in decent condition are still around. Most examples are poorly struck on one or both sides from dies that show “varying degrees of erosion.”
According to the NGC Price Guide, a Buffalo Nickel from 1926 in circulated condition is worth between $15 and $4,400. But you can get as much as $135,000 for examples in pristine, uncirculated condition.
1921 St. Gaudens $20 Double Eagle: $1.25 Million
Nearly the entire mintage of this coin was destroyed during the 1930s and no hoards “of any size” have since been discovered. That goes a long way toward explaining why a 1921 Double Eagle in pristine, uncirculated condition can fetch more than $1.2 million on the collector’s market. Even those in circulated condition are worth anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000.
1920-S Indian Head $10 Gold Eagle: $2 Million
As NGC noted, the vast majority of these coins were melted in the “great gold melts” of the 1930s, so any example of a 1920-S $10 specimen is “cause for excitement.” Most examples were softly struck around the central portions of the obverse and were also weakly struck at the top part of the date. As of December 2024, a 1920 Indian Head Gold Coin in circulated condition is worth between $20,000 and $75,000. But that value rises to as much as $2 million for specimens in pristine, uncirculated condition.
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