5 Rare Coins That Sold for More Than $1 Million Last Year
Written by
Vance Cariaga
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Jenna Klaverweiden
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Last year was a lucrative one for sellers of rare coins, as one auction house sold five specimens for more than $1 million each — including one that fetched a record price in its category.
The auction house — Costa Mesa, California-based Stack’s Bowers Galleries — ranks as the oldest and largest rare currency auction house in the United States, according to a press release shared with GOBankingRates. In 2024, Stack’s Bowers hosted auctions in both the U.S. and Europe that featured coins selling for $1 million or more.
Rare coins are highly prized by collectors not just because there aren’t a lot of them around. Other factors play a key role as well. Here’s what to look for in the most valuable specimens, according to a blog from Altier Rare Coins:
- Condition: Professional graded coins in pristine condition tend to command the highest prices.
- Historical significance: As Altier noted, coins that represent a “particular moment in history or that have a unique story” attract more interest from collectors.
- Market demand: As with any asset, rare coins go up in price when there is high demand from buyers.
The most valuable rare coins usually have some combination of the above features.
Here are five that sold for more than $1 million last year.
Also see five rare coins to hold on to in 2025.
1825/4/1 Capped Head Left Half Eagle
- Sale price: $1.08 million
This U.S. Mint gold coin sold for a whopping $450,000 more than it did only two years earlier, according to Stack’s Bowers. The auction house said this coin is exceedingly rare. The $1.08 million sale occurred at the August 2024 Global Showcase Auction.
1496 Danish Noble Coin
- Sale price: $1.24 million
“Noble” coins were produced to honor Danish nobility. These specimens were struck between 1496 and 1532 in honor of the kings Hans, Christian II and Frederik I, according to Stack’s Bowers. As reported by Business Insider, only 20 coins of this type still exist.
It sold at auction in Denmark in September 2024.
1850 Baldwin & Co. $10 Piece
- Sale price: $1.26 million
This coin had been held in a private collection since 1988 before selling at auction in November 2024.
The auction house said this coin was very historically significant and had “legendary rarity.”
1870-CC Liberty Head Double Eagle
- Sale price: $1.44 million
This coin, a “legendary” Carson City rarity, had been off the market since 1986 before selling at the same November auction, according to Stack’s Bowers.
1652 Massachusetts Silver Threepence
- Sale price: $2.52 million
This coin surpassed the previous world record price for an American coin struck before the American Revolution, according to Stack’s Bowers. The previous record price was $646,250. This coin was struck “within weeks” of the establishment of the first mint to be opened in what would become the United States.
According to the Smithsonian Magazine, this style of coin was made by the Boston mint likely for only a few months and most have been lost.
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