Someone may have given you a collection of old coins or you found one in a drawer by accident. You could be sitting on a small fortune without even knowing it.
On the market today, some rare coins, especially ones that are one-of-a-kind or have historical value, can fetch crazy high prices. On the other hand, some coins have been sold for $1,000,000 or even more. If you want to get some cash to start off 2025, this $1 coin could be your ticket.
Rare $1 coins with these presidents’ faces
Several presidents have had their likeness put on different denominations of U.S. coins over the years. On the quarter, penny, nickel, and dime, for example, you can see images of famous people like George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Franklin D. Roosevelt. However, many U.S. presidents have never been shown on coins. Coins that do show a certain president are therefore very rare and highly sought after.
As limited editions, coins with the faces of presidents who are not often seen, like John F. Kennedy on the half dollar or Dwight D. Eisenhower on the dollar coin, stand out. Because of this, collectors often want these coins because they are hard to find and have historical value, which drives up their market value.
Beginning in the 2000s, the U.S. mint started making coins with more presidents’ faces on them. Most of these coins will not sell for a lot of money at auction, but a few of them could be worth six figures or more.
Most valuable presidential coins
The U.S. mint would give out four presidential coins every year from 2007 to 2016. On one side of each coin was a picture of a U.S. president, and on the other was a picture of the Statue of Liberty.
There are faces on these presidential dollar coins of all the U.S. presidents who are no longer alive. An American president has to have died at least two years before their image is put on a coin. This is done to honor the president.
The most valuable U.S. presidential dollar coins right now are the ones below:
- 2007 John Adams (without edge lettering): This coin holds a special place in U.S. coinage history as one of the first Presidential coins to feature a notable error. During its production, the Philadelphia Mint mistakenly struck the coins without the edge lettering that was supposed to be included. This mistake makes the coin highly coveted by collectors. In top mint condition, this rare error coin can sell for an astounding $141,000, highlighting its immense value and the rarity of such production flaws in U.S. currency.
- 2007-S John Adams Proof: Converse to the 2007 John Adams coin, this particular coin is considered to have “zero flaws” and is anticipated to become even rarer as time goes on, according to CoinValueLookup. Coins in flawless condition have been known to reach impressive values, with some fetching as much as $100,000, making it a highly sought-after collector’s item.
Mint condition and fatal flaws both can sell for thousands
Rare coins in perfect condition and coins with flaws can both fetch high prices on the market, often reaching thousands of dollars. Coins that are in perfect condition are valuable because they are hard to find.
Coin collectors look for pieces that are perfectly preserved and still have all of their original features and details. On the other hand, coins with flaws in the way they were made, like missing letters, wrong printing, or uneven strikes, are also very sought after because they are unique and hard to find.
These flaws make the coins stand out and make them more desirable to collectors, since mistakes like these do not happen very often and are hard to copy. So, a coin can sell for a lot of money whether it is perfect or has a rare mistake. Some can fetch tens of thousands of dollars or even more, depending on how rare they are and how much people want them.
