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Rare & Expensive Coins in the U.S.

The U.S. Mint has issued thousands of coins in many denominations since the 1790s. Some stand above others in collector value and appreciation due to scarcity and popularity. Some rare coins feature minting errors, while others were simply produced in fewer quantities at certain mint locations. The oldest coins are hard to find because of the lack of collectors and the passage of two centuries.

1793 Large Cent
- American coinage began in 1793. This first 1-cent piece was similar in size to the modern half dollar. It featured a crude drawing of Lady Liberty on the front and the words "One Cent" on the back flanked by "United States of America." The coin is simple in nature, but not cheap in price. With only about 36,000 copies minted, this coin can fetch around $10,000 in 2010 prices in just G-4, or good, condition, while VF-20, or very fine, examples can sell for four times that.
"Three-Legged" Buffalo
- An unknown number of copies of the 1936D buffalo nickel feature a bison with only three legs. A minting error eliminated one of the legs of the creature. This rare error coin can fetch close to $1,000 in VG-8, or very good, condition while a coin that grades MS-60, or uncirculated, can sell for around $20,000.
1916 Denver Dime
- While more than 22 million copies of the 1916 dime were struck at the Philadelphia mint, and about 10 million were struck in San Francisco, only 264,000 copies were minted in Denver. The rare 1916D copy of the Mercury dime can fetch $1,000 in G-4 condition and $6,000 in EF-40, or extremely fine, condition. Look for the mint mark on the reverse, to the bottom left of the fasces.
"Open Wreath" Gold Dollar
- Gold coins tend to be worth a lot simply based on their metal content, but the 1849 Liberty Head gold dollar is highly prized by collectors for a rare variation. An unknown number of copies feature an "open wreath" reverse, meaning that the wreath is farther away from the "1" on the reverse that symbolizes one dollar. In VF-20 grade the coin can sell for $250,000. An example graded as choice uncirculated (MS-63) sold for $690,000 at auction in 2004.

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