What Is the Rarest Coin in the World?

History

• Theodore Roosevelt was touring a museum when he was impressed by a series of ancient Greek coins. Roosevelt approached a sculptor to design various coins. The sculptor, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, died before completing the series, however. The one coin he finished was the $20 double eagle.

Why It's Rare

• In 1933 Franklin Roosevelt decided that America should no longer take part in the gold standard and that all gold coins should be melted down. That included most of the $20 double eagle coins, but a few were not melted. They are now part of the National Numismatic Collection.

Cost

• Until very recently, it was illegal to privately own a $20 double eagle coin. In 2002, however, the coin was put up for auction. It was estimated to sell for around $4 million, but it actually sold for more than $7.5 million.