Most Expensive Coins Sold at Auction (All Time)

About This Dataset

Rare coins ranked by hammer price at public auction in millions of USD. The 1933 Double Eagle gold coin — a US $20 piece of which nearly all were melted down before entering circulation — sold at Sotheby's in 2021 for $18.9 million, making it the most valuable coin ever sold at public auction. Only a handful of 1933 Double Eagles are known to exist legally in private hands, each representing a literal piece of monetary history that escaped government recall.

Analysis

The gap between the top entry, the 1933 Double Eagle at $18.9 million, and the second place Flowing Hair Silver Dollar at $10 million illustrates the unique allure and rarity of the former, with only a few known to exist legally. The 1933 Double Eagle's historical significance, having been nearly entirely melted down, adds to its desirability among collectors. The substantial drop-off in value for coins like the Edward III Florin at $6.8 million further emphasizes how rarity and provenance can drive prices in the numismatic market.

Source: Wikipedia

Key Findings

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1933 Double Eagle (USA) leads in Auction Price (Million USD) with 18.90 in 2021.

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2021 recorded the highest combined total across all categories.

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Gap in 2021: 1933 Double Eagle (USA) is 7.3× larger than 1894-S Barber Dime (USA).

Most Expensive Coins Sold at Auction (All Time)

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Data Insights Below

Data Insights

Numbers, trends & sources behind this chart

Admin

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Data Points

8 categories · 7 years

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Top Value

18.90

1933 Double Eagle (USA)

Auction Price (Million USD) · 2021

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Metrics

Auction Price (Million USD)

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Period

1999 – 2021

7 years of data

Methodology & source

Data source: Wikipedia
Coverage: 8 entities · 1999–2021 (7 years) · 8 observations
Measure: Auction Price (Million USD)
Last updated: 6 September 2026
Compiled by: The ANYSTAT team, from the source above

How the figures are calculated

Values are shown as reported by the source. Nothing is rescaled, rebased or converted — the only changes are thousand separators and decimals shown to two places.
Missing years are left empty rather than estimated — no interpolation, no carrying a previous year forward.
Change is measured between the first and last year in which an entity actually reported a value, so a series that starts late is not penalised for the years before it existed.
The compound annual rate is (last ÷ first)^(1 ÷ years) − 1, using those same two reported years.
Entities are ranked highest-first on their value in 2021.
An entity that reported nothing in the latest year is still listed — it follows the ranked entities in the table rather than being dropped.

Rankings & Full Data

8 records · Auction Price (Million USD) · ranked by 2021

✓ 8 sourced

#	Category	1999	2006	2013	2016	2018	2019	2021	Change
🥇	1933 Double Eagle (USA)	—	—	—	—	—	—	18.90	—
🥈	Flowing Hair Silver Dollar (1794)	—	—	10	—	—	—	—	—
🥉	Brasher Doubloon (1787)	—	—	—	—	—	—	9.36	—
4	Edward III Florin (1343)	—	6.80	—	—	—	—	—	—
5	1913 Liberty Head Nickel (USA)	—	—	—	—	4.56	—	—	—
6	1787 Fugio Cent (USA)	—	—	—	—	—	4.21	—	—
7	1804 Silver Dollar (Class I)	4.14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
8	1894-S Barber Dime (USA)	—	—	—	2.59	—	—	—	—