Are You Sitting on a Fortune? 5 Rare Coins That Are Worth Millions

If you own a container of random coins that's been sitting around your home for months or years, you're basically human. And if you've ever fantasized about one of those coins being worth something—really, really worth something—you're far from alone. A rare coin expert recently saw some of the most valuable coins ever come to auction, including a $12 million silver dollar and a $7.7 million penny, and he described what to look for. Read on to find out what they were and why they fetched so much—and get ready to turn that coin jar, shoebox, or junk drawer over on the floor to start searching.

Ian Russell, president of California-based auction site GreatCollections, told the Daily Mail he was "astonished" by the recent sale of a set of Lincoln pennies from the estate of coin enthusiast Stewart Blay. The pair, a 1958 Double Die—the best of only three known in the world, a mistaken printing that produced Lincoln's face on both sides—raked in $1.136 million at auction. 

In 2022, Russell's site arranged the purchase of what is believed to be the first-ever-minted silver dollar. The coin, which bears a man's profile, the word "Liberty" at the top, and the date 1794 at the bottom, went for $12 million.  "Because of its sharpness of detail, researchers believe this coin was specially struck, perhaps as a presentation of the country's first dollar coin," said Russell. "Because of its significance, it was likely seen by President George Washington, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, and then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson who oversaw the young United States Mint. Without question, this is America's most coveted silver dollar, a numismatic national treasure. It gave me chills closing the transaction for this piece of history."  The previous owner, a Las Vegas business executive, had purchased the coin for $10 million. 

In 2021, GreatCollections bought a 1913 Liberty Head nickel for $4.2 million. It was believed lost for 41 years and discovered following a nationwide search in 2003. The coin is one of only five known 1913-dated Liberty Head design five-cent denomination coins, and two of them are in museums.  In 1913, the U.S. Mint changed the design of the nickel, swapping the "Liberty Head" motif for one that featured a Native American on the front and a bison on the back. But a few Liberty Head examples dated 1913 were made at the Philadelphia Mint.

This coin—graded PCGS Proof-65+—is one of only nine coins known of this type and is one of the most prized coins among collectors. Only 24 were originally minted; experts aren't sure why. But the remaining coins will fetch a pretty penny: One sold in 2019 pulled in 1.32 million. 

This 1804 silver dollar bore a woman's profile—known as the "draped bust"—between the world "Liberty" and the date. The finest example known to exist went for $7.68 million in 2021. The 1804 silver dollars, known as "King of American Coins," were minted in 1834 at the request of President Andrew Jackson to be given by the U.S. State Department as diplomatic gifts. Experts say that if you uncover just any old 1804 silver dollar, you can expect to rake in at least $2 million to $4 million.