Most expensive coin ever sold

What to remember

In 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, the United States minted 445,500 Saint-Gaudens double eagles, 20-dollar gold coins. None was officially circulated, and all but two were ordered to be melted down. Even so, 20 more are known to have been stolen before their destruction and reached collectors before later being recovered.

The specimen sold by Sotheby's on June 8, 2021 for $18,900,000 is the only one that can legally be privately owned, known as the Weitzman Specimen. No coin has sold for more. It is graded MS-65 CAC and once belonged to King Farouk of Egypt.

Several of the recovered coins were destroyed, which makes the 1933 double eagle one of the rarest coins in the world. Because it was never released to the public, owning any other example privately is illegal.