A 125-year-old dime just sold for $1.32 million

CNN ^ | August 20, 2019 | David Wiliams

[C19fan]

A Utah businessman paid $1.32 million for a dime last week at a Chicago coin auction.

It wasn't just any 10-cent piece; the 1894-S Barber Dime is one of only 24 that were ever made, according to Stack's Bowers Galleries, which held the auction Thursday night. Only nine of the coins are confirmed to still exist. The coin was purchased by Dell Loy Hansen, who also owns the Real Salt Lake MLS team.

[Chainmail]

In the early '70s I took a job as a liquor store clerk while I was laid off from Lockheed and one evening an old lady brought in a roll of pennies. She asked if I could give her 50 cents for them and rather than open the till, I paid her from my own pocket.

When I opened the roll, it was all brand-new 1906 Indian Head pennies.

Unfortunately, that roll and all the silver I had accumulated ended up with my ex-wife a year later.

Oh well - I got to keep the silver Tetradrachma coin with Ptolemy III's face I found in the northern Sinai.

[exnavy]

When my dad passed, he left me a 1st generation single action army colt. They sold for about $37.00 new. Worth around $3500.00 right now. Firearms are always a good investment.

[Bob434]

[Bob434]

this one?

[BOBWADE]

Very cool

[Bob434]

i agree- wish i had one

[Dan in Wichita]

If you found a 3-legged Buffalo Nickel, I recommend you get it certified by one of the reputable coin certification companies. Two of the best are: PCGS and NGC.

There are many altered Buffalo nickels made to resemble a 3-legged specimen. If your coin is certified as genuine, at that point it is actually worth hundreds of dollars (or more, depending on condition). Without certification, many collectors may fear it is altered coin and will shy away from it.

There is a fee to get it certified, but well worth it if your coin is genuine.

[dp0622]

WOW!!

[dp0622]

Thanks man :)

[AndyJackson]

The Mint's superintendent is said to have produced the coins as gifts to prominent bankers.

That would violate about 50 laws and 300 subsidiary regulations today.

[minnesota_bound]

I have a roll of those dimes. I did not know they were rare. Mine are not rusty looking either. Maybe I outta sell some : )

[SkyDancer]

I have a bunch of worn nickles from the 1899 era.

[i_robot73]

No offense to the Presidents, but this was back when our (REAL) currency was beautiful.

These days, the only time you’ll see Liberty is on the U.S. Mint ‘collectors’ coins.

I mean, why give the People any reminder, on that which they use daily, of what they’ve LOST?

[hanamizu]

No offense to the Presidents, but this was back when our (REAL) currency was beautiful.

---

For a long time, most of our currency shared a similar design. A Liberty for the head. The notable exception was the Indian head cent. Designs were so similar that when the mint issued a new nickel in 1883 with a large V but no ‘cents’ on the reverse, some gold plated it and tried to pass it as a 5-dollar gold piece which shared the same Liberty head and was pretty much the same size. The mint quickly added ‘cents’ to the reverse.

Anyway, the really beautiful coins came out because of Teddy Roosevelt—again with the exception of the cent that got Lincoln’s head on it. The buffalo nickel, the ‘Mercury dime’, the standing Liberty quarter, the Walking Liberty half, Indian Head 2 1/2 and 5 dollar gold pieces, a different Indian head $10 gold piece and the St. Gaudens $20 gold piece rival any nation’s coinage.

Then in ‘33 FDR eliminated the gold, and later politicians replaced Liberty. Susan B Anthony dollar coin is perhaps a nadir of sorts.

[Songcraft]

Numismatic nudge.   (Bump)

[Larry Lucido]

I guess I shouldn’t have told the seller “Here’s a dime, call someone who cares!”

[dp0622]

LOL

[Larry Lucido]

I also shouldn’t have said “Sorry, I don’t take dimes with branches in the president’s hair.”

[DocRock]

Regarding beautiful coins, my father’s passion was the flying eagle penny. He had several patterns on the large cent die and you could really enjoy the artwork.

[SamAdams76]

I have the same kind of story. I came into a coin collection my uncle gave me when I was around 16 years old. The usual motley collection. Buffalo nickels, Wheat pennies, Mercury dimes, etc. A few silver dollars and other turn-of-the-century type coins. All of them well-worn and dull.

But in my naivete, I thought I'd hit the lottery. I figured them to be worth at least a few hundred bucks. Why I had silver dollars from 1898!

So the day came when I walked into the local coin shop to cash it all in and I optimistically spread my loot across the counter. The old guy running the place (looked like Theodore Roosevelt) ran his hands through the pile a couple of times with much disdain and disinterest and finally said "Where'd you get these, kid?"

"My uncle" I replied. "Well," he replied, "Tell your uncle this is all shit. Take these back and tell him if he has anything worth selling to come on by himself. Now have a good day"

I still have those coins to this day in several rusty Sucrets tins. Even my kids don't want them. But they are nice to look at once in a while.