News Detail

The infamous 1933 Double Eagle once owned by King Farouk and London coin dealer Stephen Fenton has sold for the second time this century, once again shattering world records. Changing hands at US$18,872,250 (including the Buyer’s Premium and Overhead Premium), the sale marks a world record auction price for a numismatic coin and is over double the US$7.59 million it sold for in 2002.

PCGS has graded the coin PCGS MS65.

The coin was assessed by PCGS at MS65 CAC, and is the only example of the date that is legal to own. Twelve additional coins are held by the US Government. (Two of those are in the Smithsonian and ten at Fort Knox. The ten coins have a story of their own that is well worth further reading).

If you’d like to know more about the 1933 Double Eagle, I recommend reading Illegal Tender: Gold, Greed, and the Mystery of the Lost 1933 Double Eagle by David Tripp and Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World's Most Valuable Coin by Alison Frankel. Both are riveting reads.

Click here to see the original Sotheby's listing.

If you'd like to buy your own Double Eagle (but not a 1933), we may have some available here.