The annual FUN auction of rare coins took place in Florida recently, and the star of the show was the Olsen 1913 Liberty Nickel, which sold for an eye-popping $3.73m - roughly a tenth of the overall sum spent at the auction which is thought to be just under $37m.
However, it was not the only coin to fetch a seven figure sum.
A 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle which was put on offer is graded MS66, (by the PCGS) one of five coins of that rating. It came from the collection of Ralph P Muller.
 The 1927-D Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle, MS66 (PCGS) |
Only nine 1927-D pieces are in private ownership, out of a total of 13 known to exist, as most of the limited number of them made were melted down, on the orders of President Theodore Roosevelt.
Whilst a single 1927-D has been graded MS67 (and that held the seventh spot for greatest coin sales of all time at $1,897,500 according to the rankings at the start of 2010), this piece is still one of the rarest and most coveted coins in existence.
But the Double Eagle didn't actually sell to anyone attending the FUN. An internet bidder had put down a bid of $1,495,000 ahead of the event and this proved to be enough.
As any 1927-D Double Eagle makes the difference between a high-class collection and a world class one, the bidder obviously decided this was a once in a lifetime opportunity which they could not afford to miss.
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