'Double Eagle' coin, seemingly worth a mere £15.80, sells for a record-breaking £13,334,400

Rare coins are known to command hefty sums, but one obscure piece outshines them all. The 'Double Eagle', seemingly worth a mere £15.80 ($20), proved its true value at a 2021 auction.

A 1933 Double Eagle coin sold for a record-breaking $18,872,250 at Sotheby's in New York on Monday.

The coin, which is one of the rarest in the world, was sold to an anonymous bidder. It had been expected to sell for around $10,180,000.

The coin is triple certified by NGC, PCGS and CCF in PR64 Ultra Gem, is one of two that were legally sold in the US.

It was originally sold by Stephen K. Brenn ,, in 1990, for $850,000. In 2002, it sold again for $7,590,000 at Sotheby's New York.

The 1933 Double Eagle coin is one of the most sought-after by collectors. It was never meant to be circulated, and only two were legally sold by the Government.

However, around two dozen survived the melting and are now in the hands of private collectors.

The coins are illegal to possess in the US, and the US Secret Service has been known to seize them from collectors.

In 2005, the former Acting Director of the US Mint David Lebryk, said: "These Double Eagles were never lawfully issued, but instead, were taken from the United States Mint at Philadelphia in an unlawful manner more than 70 years ago. They are, and always have been, public property belonging to the United States."

He added: "The U.S. Mint will not accept any of these coins for examination or return. We are aware that some members of the public may be deceived by the recent sale of a 1933 Double Eagle coin at auction. This coin was stolen from the government and its lawful owner is the U.S. Mint."

The coins were never meant to be circulated as currency and were largely melted down due to financial crises sparked by the Great Depression.

When President Franklin D Roosevelt took office in 1933, he made it illegal for people to keep gold, including coins like the Double Eagle.

However, two of the 1933 Double Eagles were legally sold - one was donated to the National Numismatic Collection and the other was sold by a private collector in 2002.

The coin sold on Monday is the one that was sold by the private collector in 2002. It is believed that around 20 other 1933 Double Eagles were stolen but the majority of these were later retrieved by the US Secret Service.

The coins are still illegal to possess in the US with the exception of just one.

The 1933 Double Eagle coin is one of the rarest and most valuable gold coins in the world.

Dealers at The Britannia Coin Company explain: "Perhaps the rarest and most valuable gold coin in the world is the 1933 Double Eagle.

"The allure of this extremely scarce gold coin is because of its inextricable link to US President Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive Order 6102.

"In 1933, the U.S. Congress passed legislation authorizing the production of 445,500 20 Double Eagles. However, these coins were never officially issued by the U.S. Treasury and were subsequently ordered to be melted down with only two coins to be spared. Naturally, a few coins escaped the melting pot."

According to MJ Hughes Coins, the two coins that were saved are a 1933 Double Eagle which was donated to the National Numismatic Collection and another which remained in a private collection until 2002 before being auctioned off.

It is believed that around 20 other 1933 Double Eagles were stolen but the majority of these were later retrieved by the U.S. Secret Service.

To this day, it remains illegal to possess a 1933 Double Eagle coin in the U.S.

The former Acting Director of the U.S. Mint David Lebryk, said in 2005: “These Double Eagles were never lawfully issued, but instead, were taken from the United States Mint at Philadelphia in an unlawful manner more than 70 years ago. They are, and always have been, public property belonging to the United States.”

He added: “The U.S. Mint will not accept any of these coins for examination or return. We are aware that some members of the public may be deceived by the recent sale of a 1933 Double Eagle coin at auction. This coin was stolen from the government and its lawful owner is the U.S. Mint.”

However, another rare coin from Britain recently sold for an astounding £140,000 at auction.

This coin, a 1921 Pattern