Poll: What is the most valuable US issue?
Boosibri
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Which issue would be the most valuable if sold at auction?
Poll: What is the most valuable US issue?
This is a public poll: others will see what you voted for.
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I would order them: 1849 $20 > J-1776 > 1794 SP 66 $1 > Gold Libertas Americana
https://images.pcgs.com/CoinFacts/62238_37658069_2200.jpg
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
So is the 1849 double eagle not considered a regular issue?
Edited to add: To my knowledge, it’s a pattern.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
J-1776 or 1933 $20 would be the real Most Expensive US Coin I think!
It is a thought of mine that the 1794 SP66 $1 and other coins are being sold with the goal of acquiring either the J-1776 or the only legal to own 1933 $20. I believe Bruce has owned 1894-S 10c, 1913 Liberty Nickel, 1794 SP66 $1 etc....now, might be the opportunity to add his name to the short list of owners for one of these other monsters. It is my understanding that an offer may have been made on at least one of them, that was turned down.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I’m confident that potential buyers of J-1776 are well aware that it’s not for sale and most likely won’t be for (at least) decades. And I doubt that the coins are being sold in order to raise funds for a run at the 1933 $20, either.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I remain convinced that the so-called Farouk 1933 $20 is in government hands, purchased with unlimited taxpayer money just to get the thing off the market after the Treasury was thoroughly embarrassed by its pursuit of it.
Yup. It's a pattern just like the 1856 Flying Eagle Cent.
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
No love for the 1877 Half Union $50 gold pattern?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
Good call, that is why I put the “Other” option
Latin American Collection
April 21, 2019
Laura S. wrote the following: "... J-1776 (which we offered $15 million for and got laughed at), J-1776 is now in trust for the guys grand kids. "
So, that coin is basically off the market for decades it seems. @MFeld
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
I had thought so as well, with the government basically buying the coin at half price...but then I saw this that was posted by Laura S on April 30, 2019.
"I can state for a fact, LEGEND WILL be the buyer of the next legal 1933 Saint. We did make an offer on the one out there last year but was rejected. We have THREE people will pay over the moon for one. We tried to buy the Langford deal too."
So, it seems some people know where the 1933 $20 is and if this statement is true then it is in fact in private hands.
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
So she didn’t put up enough money the first time, but is 100% sure she’ll be the winning bidder this time? Yeah right. Some times you have to go nuclear and offer the whole moon and not merely moon dust.
With such dogmatic expressions, the owner of the Farouk coin should tack on a couple of million or so and dangle it in front of her.
Yes, I was aware of that (before she stated it).😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I wouldn’t take all of what was said, as fact. And let’s be realistic, trying to buy the “Langford deal” wasn’t going to result in a transaction.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
There are plenty of statements that get thrown around and they need to be taken with more than just a grain of salt. But...if an offer was made on the Farouk then that would mean it is in private hands, not the hands of the government.
I personally HOPE that it is not in Government Hands. Heck, I'm in my mid-40s and might not live long enough to see the Farouk $20 or the J-1776 change hands. Better chance at seeing the Farouk maybe?
Looking for Top Pop Mercury Dime Varieties & High Grade Mercury Dime Toners.
If offers were made to both the owner of the Farouk coin and to the owner of the Langbord coins, why would that indicate that the former coin is in private, rather than government hands?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I think all are contenders!
The first 2 are patterns, and the pattern collectors would fight for them.
The 1794 SP $1 has the claim of being the first silver dollar struck by the United States, and ONLY prooflike 1794 dollar. In his report to the Congress at the time, Thomas Jefferson selected the "Dollar" to be our Nation's primary unit of currency. So, indeed, this particular coin was Jefferson's proclamation to the world that "We The People" have our own money!
In 1783 Benjamin Franklin commissioned the Libertas Americana medals, having them struck in gold, silver, and bronze. The silver and bronze medals were given to VIPs of the day, but none of the known examples have provenances going back far enough to identify who was the original recipient. The 2 Gold Libertas Medals are documented as being presented to the King and Queen of France by Benjamin Franklin himself. Both are presumed lost, but if one were to survive, it would go into the millions.
I like that analysis, but the 1794 $1 is the only one of that group for which there are many multiple examples out there, so it is less unique. That said, the particular specimen $1 has a lot going for it including the possibility of its being the first and as noted being the only proof like one that has been known to survive.
Understand the gold Libertas would have to be accompanied by documentation establishing provenance and legal transfer from Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Once you throw in those names, documents, and related history, the sky is the limit. You'd have substantial European interest as well.
The gold Libertas (and 1849 $20) further have the distinction of never having being sold. We already know what the other two are worth, or at least reasonable estimates based on previous sales. This makes for a better marketing angle.
The story aspect of the 1849 $20 isn't as great as the others. OK, it's the first $20 and unique. But there is no market history, no one fighting over it, no creation mythology, etc. Sure, it's well into the millions but not on the same level.
According to David Akers, in 1909, J.P. Morgan reportedly offered to pay the enormous sum of $35,000 for the 1849 $20 in the Mint Collection and there have been other unsuccessful attempts to purchase it as well.
Taking a contrarian stance (although loving the banter above concerning several of the most tasty rarities in any part of history).
I would rank either one of the 1964-D Peace Dollars as a factor . .
Drunner
If accompanying documents were included, that would add more value to the medals. However, even if the medals turned up without any paperwork, it would be extremely easy to identify them as the original medals presented to the King and Queen. Like all early issues at the time, the dies did sustain a number of notable cracks, such that the die states can be used to identify whether the piece came from the beginning of the run, or the middle or late states. Of course, the original dies survived and have been used by the Paris Mint to make modern restrikes using transfer dies from the originals and then they worked to fill in the voids from the die cracks. Since the dies are not now in their original state, there is no way for someone to re-create the original dies precisely. If they were found and not terribly worn, I could authenticate them within a minute!
Presumably, this exercise pertains to coins which are known to exist?
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
There are "plenty" of 1933's out there as well (over a dozen)....including the Langbord-Switt coins. As long as those coins are not melted there are plenty of them. And quite possibly another half dozen to dozen more still in hiding. That's almost certainly NOT the case with any of the other coins. The only 1794 dollars that matter are the unequivocable gems....of which there are currently 2....only 1 of them being a deep mirror Specimen....unique.
Good points.
That said, excluding the now never to be privately owned set of 1933s, are there really more than one or two that have even been credibly rumored as to having actually been seen and still be out there somewhere?
By comparison there are approximately 130 surviving 1794 dollars known to still exist from the 1700 plus that were minted per the 2nd Edition of the "100 Greatest U.S. Coins" by Jeff Garrett and Ron Guth.
As to the other 1794s I would be happy to acquire one of those that "doesn't matter." (Years ago I was the underbidder on one but that is as close as I ever got to completing my Registry Set of Early Dollars by years. At least I have a 1795 that shares the type and at the time I submitted the set that was still good enough to place in the low single digits.
(Edited to add, I just checked and my Early Dollar Registry Set for its category is still ranked in the single digits, albeit now high single digits.)
When you win the World Series you’re the world champions until someone else knocks you off the mountaintop. So..... by the same logic, the SP 1794 is currently the most valuable coin.
I would argue that the reported offer and subsequent rejection of $15 million for the J-1776 constitutes a valuation of at least $15 million, which is greater than that of the SP 1794. Even if the sale did not occur, it could have had the offer been accepted, and value is equal to what someone is willing to pay. I also feel that in an auction the J-1776 would beat out anything else, and perhaps hit $25 million or so.
Gobrecht's Engraved Mature Head Large Cent Model
https://www.instagram.com/rexrarities/?hl=en
I will leave this debate to the more knowledgeable people (most have posted above)....I have no idea how to value such rarities....No doubt, multiple millions of dollars are involved, and not an area for me. I do enjoy watching the sale of these monsters though...and have learned a bit from the above posts. Cheers, RickO
since a Pattern isn't a regular issue should they even be on the list??
Good question but it does not seem viable to include coins that will never be available.
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
The question posed in the thread title doesn’t limit the answer to regular issues, only.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
How do you determine whether certain coins will ever be available? We can only guess and we might guess incorrectly.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
I thought the 1849 $20 was in the US Mint collection at the Smithsonian
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
It is and some believe that a second example, of unknown whereabouts, did/does exist.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
It is in the Smithsonian Institute. The question is purely hypothetical so let's not get hung up on the question of future availability. Okay?
Worry is the interest you pay on a debt you may not owe.
"Paper money eventually returns to its intrinsic value---zero."----Voltaire
"Everything you say should be true, but not everything true should be said."----Voltaire
are Patterns ever "issued" or meant to be issued??
Definition of issue:
action of supplying or distributing an item for use, sale, or official purposes.
I would suggest that a pattern falls under official purposes. YMMV.
Public polls are the least representative of opinions.
What do you think would be more representative in this case? And whatever it is, feel free to have at it.😉
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
And since most of these are not even in public hands it is just a fun hypothetical topic.
Latin American Collection
I did.
Deleted, as I misunderstood.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
@MFeld
Just curious... Does the possibility of a second 1849 $20 influence your opinion?
Experience the World through Numismatics...it's more than you can imagine.
fwiw, there is plenty of precedence for museum-held items being let go for funding. not something reliable to wait on but is far from impossible. just read the other day about princeton doing just this. can't recall the time period or the item(s). apologies.
also, the thread is "What is the most valuable US issue?" so long as it is legal tender, i'd say lets include it.
i'd like to see a 1822 $5 but would prefer an unc version to really compete.
here is a link to stir the memories to come up with something amazing. - a little deeper.
My vote would go for the 1870-S $3.00 gold without a doubt.
Your hobby is supposed to be your therapy, not the reason you need it.
It does not. I think that either way, it’s in the top 2.
Mark Feld* of Heritage Auctions*Unless otherwise noted, my posts here represent my personal opinions.
Agreed. It is akin to someone placing a token bid on a 1913 Liberty Head Nickel or other super rarity and then bragging about being the high bidder for 20 seconds or claiming that their offer was rejected as if they have some inside knowledge that wasn’t already obvious to everyone else.
Why is a second example suspected?