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November 30, 2021

The Top 10 Most Valuable Old U.S. Coins

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What makes some American currency pieces among the most valuable coins ever? It's a combination of factors like scarcity, minting errors and historical significance. Here are 10 of the most valuable old U.S. coins for you to start saving your most valuable American pennies for.

1913 Liberty Head V Nickel

Lady Liberty dons the front of this five-cent piece, but that was a mistake, making the 1913 Liberty Head V nickel extremely rare. Only five of these coins were minted and done so without the permission of the U.S. Treasury. The coins are worth three to four million dollars, depending on condition.

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1794 Flowing Hair Dollar

What makes this silver dollar so expensive is it's the first dollar to be minted by the U.S. Federal Government. One sold for $10 million in 2013, aCC0rding to Mental Floss, and its 2019 value is closer to $825,000, making it the fourth most valuable U.S. coin on CoinTrackers list.

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1870 S Liberty Seated Dollar

"S" stands for San Francisco, the location where the most expensive of the 1870 Liberty Seated dollars were minted. The S coins might fetch about $177,000 in 2019, but if in certified mint condition, one might be worth almost two million dollars, aCC0rding to CoinTracker.

1927 D St. Gaudens Double Eagle

In 1933, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an Executive Order requiring all gold coins to be redeemed for paper currency to prevent gold hoarding. The coins were melted down and converted to gold bars. The 180,000 1927 D St. Gaudens Double Eagle coins that were originally minted fell prey to this order and were reduced to only 11 to 15. CoinTrackers estimates its value at $1,200,000 in early 2019.

1838 O Capped Bust Half Dollar

What makes these coins extremely rare is that only a handful – about 20 or fewer — were produced in the New Orleans branch of the U.S. Mint. You might buy one for about $160,000, if you can find one, or upwards of $745,000 if it's in certified mint state.

1933 Indian Head Gold Eagle

It seems that a small number of these ten-dollar coins were released after President Roosevelt's order in 1933 forbidding gold hoarding, thus making it technically legal to own the coins. Thirty or 40 may still exist, says Indian Head Eagles, and some have sold for up to $552,000.

1817/4 Capped Bust Half Dollar

A curiosity in production causes these coins to be extremely rare. On the coin's date, the seven in 1817 is stamped over a four. The seven over fours are by far the rarest of the half dollars produced at the Philadelphia Mint, explains CoinWeek. Eleven are known to exist and may be worth about $500,000.

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1797 Draped Bust Half Dollar

The 1797 version of the U.S. half dollar has 15 stars encircling Lady Liberty, which sets it apart from 50-cent pieces made in previous and following years. An uncirculated mint condition specimen may be worth over a million dollars, aCC0rding to USA Coin Book, or even nearly $40,000 in just good condition.

1901 Morgan Silver Dollar

Most 1901 Morgan Silver Dollars are worth around $3,000. But there's one uncirculated coin in MS-65 condition — that's Mint State Gem Uncirculated with only minor marks or imperfections, explains Heritage Auction. This 1901 coin is considered the rarest Morgan silver dollar minted at the Philadelphia mint, valued at about $425,000.

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1893 S Morgan Silver Dollar

Another Morgan Silver Dollar, this one was minted in San Francisco. Only 100,000 of the coins were originally minted, and since they were much needed in the economy in 1893, very few are in mint condition. Those that are might grab upwards of $300,000.