These 11 Rare Coins Sold for Over $1 Million

From 2007 to 2016, the Mint issued four Presidential Dollar coins per year, according to its website. Each coin has an image of a president on the front and a common reverse design featuring the Statue of Liberty.

The U.S. has had 46 presidents, but only a handful appear on coins and bills that most people actually see. That’s not going to change anytime soon either, because you can only have so many denominations.

As a way of honoring more presidents, the U.S. Mint began issuing Presidential Dollar coins in the 2000s. Most are worth about face value, but a couple are valued in six figures due to errors.

From 2007 to 2016, the Mint issued four Presidential Dollar coins per year, according to its website. Each coin has an image of a president on the front and a common reverse design featuring the Statue of Liberty. The composition of the Presidential Dollar coins is identical to that of the Sacagawea Golden Dollar and Native American $1 coins.

The Presidential Dollar series includes all presidents except those who are still alive. To be on a coin, a president should have died at least two years before minting, according to CoinValueLookup. This means all presidents have been honored except Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

As previously reported by GOBankingRates, Presidential Dollars have a copper core and manganese brass cladding, so their metal content has little value. Their value is further deflated by what some coin experts describe as a “plain look.”

So Where’s the Value?

Despite its background, coin collectors can still get a big return from buying Presidential Dollars. Although most are worth no more than a few dollars, some are worth hundreds or thousands of dollars — and a couple are worth $100,000 and above.

Here are the two most valuable Presidential Dollars, as cited by CoinValueLookup:

2007 John Adams (without edge lettering): This was one of the first Presidential coins to have an error. In this case, the Philadelphia mint struck the coins without the edge lettering. In the highest mint grade, this coin sells for around $141,000.

2007-S John Adams Proof: This coin has “zero flaws” and is expected to become rarer in the future, according to CoinValueLookup. Versions in pristine condition can fetch up to $100,000.

Another valuable coin in the series is the 2007 George Washington without edge lettering, an error that pushes its value well above other versions. In high-grade condition, this coin can sell for close to $17,700.