Blanchard and Company has sold a rare 1787 gold Brasher doubloon for $7.4 million, one of the highest prices ever paid for a gold coin. This first American-made gold coin denominated in dollars was purchased by a Wall Street investment firm. Identities of the buyer and seller weren’t disclosed.
This unique Gold coin was minted by Ephraim Brasher, a goldsmith and neighbour of George Washington, and contains 26.66g of gold – slightly less than an ounce. Worth about $15 when it was minted, the gold value today would be more than $1,500. It is the only one of six coins of this type, called the doubloon due to its striking likeness to the Spanish doubloon. This one differs from the other five in that the distinctive hallmark is punch on the eagle’s breast whereas the other five known doubloons have the hallmarked punched on the eagle’s left wing.
Not only is this the highest-valued gold coin in the world, but it is also one of the most iconic pieces in all of numismatics, says Albanese, widely considered one of America’s leading numismatists. It is not a stretch to call this the holy grail of all collectible gold coins.
The Brasher doubloon last changed hands in 2004 for $3 million.
We have known about it and coveted it for years, said Blanchard CEO Donald Doyle Jr.
Blanchard and Company has brokered the sale of other extremely rare and valuable U.S. coins, including a 1913 Liberty Head nickel that sold for $3 million.