Tuesday, 8th January 2008 (1904 views)

A gold coin described as both rare and unusual has been sold in the United States for $542,000 (£274,513), according to the Oregonian.

The piece, a $20 gold 1856-O double eagle, is considered to be the rarest of all coins struck at the New Orleans Mint.

According to collectors, 2,250 were originally crafted at the mint, with only 20 to 30 known to remain today.

"If you were a collector, this would be a crown jewel of your collection," said Gary Adkins, president of the Professional Numismatics Guild and a coin dealer in the state of Minnesota.

It was purchased by coin broker Douglas Winter in November 2007 for $525,000 and sold at the end of December for £542,000.

"That gave me some goose bumps, to be able to buy and sell a coin that was so rare and at that price level," Mr Winter said, adding that the coin was one of the "highlights" of his year.

The Old US Mint in New Orleans is considered to be a national historic landmark and is currently hosting the travelling Gold exhibition.

 

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