These Old Coins Will Fetch A Fortune
Love a good treasure story? The world is full of coins that once jingled in pockets and now command jaw-dropping sums. Below are 20 non-US classics—from medieval gold to shipwreck royals and ancient icons—each with a verified auction result to show what the right piece can bring. (Values always depend on grade, variety, and provenance, so think of these as “what’s possible” benchmarks rather than price quotes.)
England’s “Double Leopard” Gold Florin (1344)
Struck for only a few months by Edward III, the Double Leopard was withdrawn almost immediately—and just three survive. The example found by a detectorist sold at Spink in 2006 for about £460,000, a record then for a British coin. Later private-treaty sales pushed it into seven figures. Wikipediaspink.com
CoinageBritannia, Wikimedia Commons
Great Britain’s 1839 “Una And The Lion” Five-Pounds
Victoria leading the lion—numismatic poetry by William Wyon. Choice proofs have repeatedly reset the record; in 2020 an NGC-certified piece realized €984,000 (~$1.15M) in Monaco, and top examples continue to flirt with the million-dollar mark. NGC CoinCoinsWeekly
National Museum of American History
, Wikimedia Commons
Great Britain’s 1937 Edward VIII Gold Sovereign (Pattern)
Edward VIII abdicated before regular coins were issued, so only patterns exist—and they’re the royalty of British rarities. One gold sovereign pattern sold for £1 million in 2020, underscoring just how ferociously collectors pursue this short-lived monarch. Coinsandaustralia.com
Heritage Auctions for the image, T. Humphrey Paget designed the coin., Wikimedia Commons
The 1933 British Penny
Britain’s own “1933” mystique: a tiny ceremonial mintage and strict recall created a legend. A church-collection example brought £133,000 in 2019, and others have fetched similar six-figure sums depending on provenance and condition. Stack's Bowers
Queen Anne’s 1703 “VIGO” Five Guineas
Minted from captured Spanish treasure marked “VIGO,” these magnificent gold pieces are the ultimate trophy of the War of the Spanish Succession. A superb example realized roughly $1.08 million in 2021—more proof that history sells. pcgs.com
Gregory Edmund, Wikimedia Commons
Canada’s 1936 “Dot” Cent
A transitional stopgap struck under George V, the “Dot” cent is the king of Canadian small change. Heritage sold one for $312,000 in 2019; another realized $402,500 back in 2010. High-grade survivors remain fiercely contested. spink.comNumista
Canada’s 1921 50 Cents (“King Of Canadian Coins”)
Most of the mintage was melted, leaving only a precious few. Certified mint-state coins have sold into the low six figures—for example, a PCGS MS63 brought $120,000 at Heritage in 2019. pcgs.comStack's Bowers
Canada 1921 50 cent MS-66, Canadian Coin & Currency
Australia’s 1930 Penny (And The Million-Dollar Proof)
The circulated 1930 penny routinely brings strong five figures—Lloyds publicized a $60,000 sale in 2022. Rarer still, the Proof 1930 penny has achieved around A$1.15 million (2019), the benchmark for Australia’s most famous coin. 7NEWSYahoo Finance
User:Martybugs, Wikimedia Commons
Australia’s 1852 Adelaide Pound
Australia’s first gold coin, produced during the rush in South Australia. The coveted Type One is the star: an example realized A$250,000 at Noble in 2018, with premium pieces continuing to command six figures. Coinsandaustralia.com
National Museum of American History
, Wikimedia Commons
South Africa’s 1898 “Single 9” Pond
A unique emergency overstrike from the Boer War era, the Single 9 is South Africa’s numismatic unicorn. PCGS records show it sold in 2010 for about $1.39 million—a true one-of-one with museum-level pedigree. Numista
Gruener Panda, Wikimedia Commons
China’s 1911 “Long Whisker Dragon” Dollar (Pattern)
Among the most coveted Chinese patterns, this dramatic dragon is a market meteor. In 2022, Stack’s Bowers sold a specimen for $2.28 million; multiple seven-figure results cement its blue-chip status. coinstrail.com
Mexico City’s 1715 8 Escudos “Royal”
Specially struck presentation pieces (the so-called “Royals”) from the era of the 1715 Fleet have a mystique all their own. Daniel Frank Sedwick sold a Mexico “Royal” 8 escudos for $528,000 in 2021, shipwreck romance included. mexicannumismatics.com
Augi Garcia, Wikimedia Commons
Mexico’s 1538 8 Reales (“First Dollar Of The Americas”)
The earliest dollar-sized coin struck in the New World under Charles and Joanna—and only three are known. One realized $587,500 in 2014; the finest known brought $528,000 in 2018. That’s historic silver at golden prices. NGC Coinpcgs.com
Rome’s 42 BC “EID MAR” Aureus
Brutus literally dated his deed on a coin. The gold EID MAR is the stuff of legend; when one surfaced in 2020 it realized about $4.2 million, a record for an ancient Roman coin at the time. CoinWorld
The Pantikapaeum Gold Stater (c. 350–300 BC)
This Greek masterpiece—Medusa on one side, a roaring griffin on the other—set the current ancient-coin auction record. In 2023, a superb stater sold in Zurich for roughly $6 million including fees. CoinWorld
ArchaiOptix, Wikimedia Commons
The 77h Umayyad “Mine” Dinar (AD 696–697)
Struck from gold from “the mine of the Commander of the Faithful,” these early Islamic dinars are both historic and extraordinarily rare. Morton & Eden sold one in 2021 for £3.72 million (~$5.4M). es.numista.com
Japan’s 1870 Meiji Year 3 Gold 20 Yen
Japan’s first modern 20-yen is perennially in demand, with nice mint-state pieces bringing strong five figures. A PCGS-certified MS65 realized $78,000 in 2018, and other certified examples have followed suit. pcgs.com
National Museum of American History
, Wikimedia Commons
Russia’s 1825 Constantine Rouble (Pattern)
Never issued for circulation—the emperor never reigned—but a handful of patterns were struck. A Choice Uncirculated example sold for $2.64 million in 2004, a landmark for Russian numismatics. coinstrail.com
The original uploader was Mitrius at Russian Wikipedia., Wikimedia Commons
Poland’s 1621 Sigismund III Vasa 100 Ducats
A plate-sized slab of Renaissance gold, often cited as Poland’s most famous coin. Stack’s Bowers realized $2.16 million for a superb piece in 2018. It’s the definition of “showstopper.”
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
Spain’s 17th-Century “Centén” (100 Escudos)
The Spanish centén—an immense 100-escudo gold piece from the Segovia mint—is the stuff of myth, with only a tiny number known. Published sales have approached or exceeded the high six figures; coverage notes an €800,000 result in 2009, and private-treaty trades can go higher.
Obón Tolosa, Gemma (photo), Wikimedia Commons
How To Read These Prices
Auction results reflect a specific coin’s grade, originality, and story. For many issues above, “everyday” examples sell for far less than the record—but rare varieties, special strikings, and top-pop grades push into six or seven figures. Always consult recent sales from major houses (Heritage, Stack’s Bowers, Spink, Morton & Eden, etc.) and third-party graders (NGC/PCGS) before you buy or consign.
The Takeaway
From medieval England’s shortest-lived gold to Mexico’s “first dollar,” the world’s priciest coins prove that rarity + history + condition = fireworks. If you’ve inherited a foreign coin box, don’t assume it’s pocket change—document what you have, look for key dates/varieties, and get expert eyes on the best pieces. Today’s attic sleeper could be tomorrow’s headline lot.
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