May 21, 2010

1794 U.S. silver dollars sells for a world record $7.85 million

02:04 PM

A 216-year-old U.S. silver dollar has sold for $7.85 million -- a world record for a single coin sale, the San Jose Mercury News reports.

The mint-condition 1794 Liberty dollar was sold by collector Steven Contursi to The Cardinal Collection Educational Foundation of Sunnyvale, Calif., a nonprofit group that researches, collects and displays coins.

The American Numismatic Association says the previous record for a single coin sale was $7.5 million for a U.S.-minted 1933 $20 gold piece,

The Mercury says the Liberty dollar that sold may be the first, or least one of the first, of about 150 coins still in existence.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... -million/1