1794 silver dollar sells for record $7.85 million

Hadn't seen a thread on this one yet... WOW!!!!!!









LOS ANGELES – What may be America's oldest silver dollar has become the world's most expensive coin, with its owner saying it changed hands in a private transaction between coin collectors for nearly $8 million.
Steven L. Contursi, who has owned the mint-condition 1794 Liberty dollar for the past seven years, confirmed Thursday that he sold it to the Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation of Sunnyvale for $7.85 million.
edited- copyright.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100521/ap_on_fe_st/us_odd_pricey_dollar_2#

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

wow

 

This is exactly the type of coin that belongs in a museum for all to see and learn about. TC

 

Nice!!!

 

Some people have more money than sence. Ah, what do I care let em live in their high falooting life style, at least I'm happy...

 

Amazing!

 

I too am surprised it was this one. I would have expected an 1804 Dollar to be the one to break the record.

 

Wow! I wish I had sold that.
but only if had 2!
I also like to have one more like it to keep:kewl:

 

What's even cooler, is the new owner is a member on the PCGS forums, "Cardinal". A heck of a nice guy, too.

 

I'll refer to my modest collection as a "museum" if that's what it takes to accept this donation. And hey... it's tax deductible !

 

There has been speculation this coin is the very first silver dollar ever made by the US Mint. Surely it must the earliest die state of all known survivors; is there any other evidence this specimen was Strike #1 ?

 

I hope that they didn't use my name in the article!

 

I'm kind of surprised Cardinal bought it since he sold off his dollar set.

I agree though he is a heck of a nice guy. I bought a hardbound copy of his book on the 1794 dollars and I was surprised when he included as a gift a hardbound copy of his other book on the rest of the early dollars! As far as I know he never published that book in softbound like he did the 1794 book, and the number of hardbound copies produced was only 20 copies.

It IS the earliest die state known and the only one known of that die state, but I seriously doubt it was the first one struck. Striking the dollar was a high prestige event for the country and it would not surprise me at all for them to have polished the dies to create a specimen strike as this coin indicates was done. But for such a momentous coin I seriously doubt they would have chosen a planchet that had been holed and plugged and then adjusted down to the correct weight. They would have chosen a proper weight planchet that didn't have to be adjusted.

This coin might very well be Number 2, but I don't think it was Number 1. It might not even be number 2 if they made more than one piece for presentation. Possibly number one after whatever presentation pieces were made.

 

I saw this coin at an ANA convention several years ago. It's certainly nice and clearly worth seven figures in today's market, but I've never been able to figure out why it brings record money.

I know this isn't the first time this coin has held the record for highest sale price, and it may have been the first $100K coin.

My 2c only; your mileage may differ.

 

To me, that's a compelling case that it was not the first dollar struck. I'll need to hear some strong rhetoric to convince me otherwise.

 

wow amazing =) that coin doesnt hold a candle to my sacagawea collection tho....LOL

 

Our first dollar is an American treasure. I covet mine, a mere VF20

 

you have a 1794? what did it cost you in vf 20?

 

Darn, there goes the record on the 33' Double Eagle.

$7.85 million! That really is crazy