5 Coins Collectors Expect To Have the Biggest Value in 2026: Could They Make You Rich?
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Dawn Allcot
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Levi Leidy
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“Gold” is the word for coins in 2026, according to experts. The price of gold reached a record high of $3,833.37 per ounce on Sept. 29, 2025. Experts predict it could rise to $7,000 in 2026.
“I expect some major announcements before the end of the year that could help push gold to that level,” said Dr. Michael Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas. He suggested that both coin collectors and investors can take advantage of the expected surge by adding to their portfolios now.
Bullion typically delivers a better value than coins, but historic and modern gold coins also have potential to make people very rich next year, especially if you already have these coins or can find them selling for less than 20% above their gold value.
Fuljenz explained the calculations to determine if a coin is a good value. “Multiply the gold amount by the price of gold to get the value of the gold in the coin, then multiply that number by 1.2 to determine how much over the gold value you should pay,” he said. “For example, a $20 denomination U.S. gold piece contains 0.9675 ounce of pure gold, so it has a gold value of $3,705 as of Sept. 29, 2025. A $10 Liberty would have half of that amount, and a $5 Liberty would be 25% of that amount.”
Right now, you wouldn’t want to pay more than $4,446 for a $20 Liberty coin, $2,223 for a $10 Liberty and $1111.50 for a $5 Liberty.
Here are some examples of what could be great coins to invest in for 2026.
$20 ‘Double Eagle’ Liberty Head
If you can find a Double Eagle Liberty Head for less than roughly $4,500, you’ll want to grab it. Fuljenz said, “Many pre-1933 common-date gold coins are now being melted,” including this one.
This makes these coins very valuable, since they’re destined to become even more rare.
$20 Saint-Gaudens (1924-S)
The $20 Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle features a unique design created by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The coin was minted from 1907 to 1933, according to the American Gold Exchange. Certain years of these coins will be worth even more money, like the 1924-S, which only saw 2.9 million pieces initially struck, with many destroyed in the 1930s. One 1964-S Saint-Gaudens in Mint State 65 is listing for $100,000 at RareCoinWholesalers.com.
If you have one of these coins from another year, it could be worth more than you realize. “I am even seeing common date coins in grades up to gem uncirculated Mint State 64 being melted down,” Fuljenz said. “This is unprecedented.”
The numismatic scale rates uncirculated coins on a scale from MS60 to MS70, where 70 indicates a nearly perfect coin and MS60 means the coin has imperfections.
1906 San Francisco Mint $20 Liberty
“Another example, I believe, is a 1906 San Francisco Mint $20 Liberty in MS-63,” Fuljenz shared.
This coin was designed by James Barton Longacre and contains 90% gold, according to PCGS.com. A coin with an MS66 rating sold at auction in 2014 for $111,625, giving an indication of its potential value today.
“I believe these coins will become more valuable in the future as many of the lower grades will have been destroyed and melted for their gold content,” Fuljenz said.
1982 Small-Date Penny
Coins don’t have to be made of gold to be worth a mint.
The 1982-D copper penny was supposed to be minted with primarily zinc, but errors at the Philadelphia and Denver Mints led to some coins being minted on new dies — designed for zinc — made mostly of copper. Only two of these pennies exist, and they’ve sold at auction for $10,800 and $18,800, according to JM Buillon. If you happen to find another in your change jar or piggy bank, consider yourself very lucky. The appearance of another small-date copper cent would likely put collectors into a bidding war.
2025 US Mint American Eagle Gold Bullion Coin (1 Oz.)
While many of the highest-value coins are dated from the 20th century, a coin doesn’t have to be old to be valuable.
“I also recommend people buy my favorite bullion coin of any in the entire world, the American Gold Eagle,” Fuljenz said. “With gold continuing to trend higher, I think you will do very well with those.”
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