ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

Two 130-year-old coins worth millions could be in your wallet — its history is even more fascinating

Collectors have long been looking for the 1894-S Barber dimes which are worth over 2 million each.
UPDATED NOV 1, 2024
Photo of a bunch of coins on a table | Getty Images - Credit: Jitalia17 (Representative)
Photo of a bunch of coins on a table | Getty Images - Credit: Jitalia17 (Representative)

Two of the rarest coins in the world may still be out there in someone's rainy-day fund. According to Coinweek and Blanchard & Co, two copies of a 130-year-old dime are still in circulation and estimated to be worth millions. The specific dime is known as the 1894-S Barber Dime, an extremely rare series that had only 24 coins minted. Today, only nine coins are known to exist with two unaccounted for, according to Heritage Auctions.



 

In a press release, Heritage stated that the 1894-S Barber dime is a "classic rarity in American coinage". It is one of the "Big Three numismatic rarities" alongside the 1804 dollar and the 1913 Liberty nickel. 



 

While the fact that only 24 such coins were minted, makes the dimes precious, its layered history further pushes them into the special category. Reports claim that the San Francisco mint made millions of such dimes, and it is estimated that nearly all of them were melted during the 1893 financial crisis. 

In a Coinappraiser report, numismatist and author Kevin Flynn suggests that about 24 such coins remained out of which only 15-16 went into circulation. Rumor has it that the Superintendent of the San Francisco mint at the time, John Dagget, gave some of the coins to his banker friends and staff. He also handed three coins to his daughter. However, the child reportedly spent one of the dimes to buy ice cream and kept the other two which were later sold to collectors.  



 

Today, only nine of them are known to exist, and several of these have been auctioned off to prominent collectors for millions of dollars. Heritage Auctions suggest that all of the nine coins but two are accounted for. Thus, the pair of multi-million dollar coins could still be floating around in American pockets, or lying in someone's rainy day fund. Heritage has also announced a $10,000 reward to anyone who provides information on the unaccounted 1834-S dimes.

The first recorded numismatic sale of the dime took place in 1933. According to Certified Coin Consultants, in the late 1990s, an 1894 S-Barber dime sold for $825,000. The report suggests that another such coin was sold for $1,035,000 in 2005 and two more went for  $1.3 million and $1.9 million in 2005 and 2007, respectively.



 

In 2016, CNN reported another auction of an 1834-S dime, where an anonymous buyer paid $1.99 million. The latest sale of the coins was reported by Fox News in 2019, when the coin sold for $1.32 million, including the buyer’s commission.

In case someone comes across a rare set of dimes, they should take it to an expert or numismatist to verify their authenticity and value. 



 

In the next step, an appraiser should be consulted for the grading of the rare coin before heading into an auction. This may be the best way to ensure that the finder gets the right and the best value for the coin or coins, according to B98.5.

This article originally appeared 1 month ago.

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
The TikTok creator @thebiteo87 stirred a debate on social media by exposing the new tactic.
11 hours ago
Harvey couldn't believe what the NFLPA stars would choose for their wives to wear
13 hours ago
Harvey barely held on to the podium after hearing the answers that shook him.
16 hours ago
The celebration was justified as Joseph won a brand new car on his birthday.
1 day ago
The player, Shaunica Amantine missed out on taking home over $82,000 over the seemingly tough puzzle
1 day ago
After nearly losing a brand new car, Dylan got a second chance to take it home.
1 day ago
The seller Robert, chose to keep to his one-of-a-kind Boba Fett prototype, expecting to get more.
2 days ago
The player, Cherie Noisette, missed on out taking home more than $61,000 in prizes.
2 days ago
The seller refused to accept a lowball bid for his signed, rookie Mickey Mantle card.
2 days ago
Harvey couldn't relate more with the contestant and demanded the response to be number 1.
2 days ago
The player also brought her husband along on the stage to support her.
3 days ago
The guest who had very little idea about the Sun Valley poster was beyond delighted.
3 days ago
The FSIS announced at least five people were injured from consumption of the affected products.
4 days ago
In the end, the guest was ready to fight her sister for an item worth thousands of dollars.
4 days ago
Fans were heartbroken to see the player, Ryan, walk away empty handed.
4 days ago
Harvey couldn't believe the hard researched facts about catfish on the show.
4 days ago
Carey demanded the Wikipedia page of "Stack the Deck" game to be updated after the win.
4 days ago
The player Titus Stevens missed out on taking home nearly $65,000 over an easy puzzle.
5 days ago
Harvey couldn't control himself after hearing some of the answers.
5 days ago
The thrift store find turned out to be quite profitable for the seller named Kimberly.
6 days ago