UNUSUAL coins can be worth a lot more than face value

One historic rare coin recently sold at auction for $7,500 — and it was even missing some bits. The colonial era coin is famed for its pine tree, and it’s now a valued collector’s item.

A RARE coin from the colonial era recently sold at auction for a surprising amount of money — even though it was missing some pieces.

The Massachusetts coin, famed for its pine tree, sold for $7,500 on August 12.

Several details went into determining the value of the recently-sold coin.

The coin, minted in 1652, predates the United States and was worth one shilling.

On the front, the coin shows a pine tree and the colony’s name, which is cut off on the coin, missing some of the first letters.

On the back, the coin says “New England” and the date.

The pine tree is a historic symbol of New England and the six states that today make up the region.

It’s even featured prominently on the proposed new flag of Maine.

The specimen was graded XF-40, a rating which means that there’s little luster remaining, though details are still visible.

Coins are graded on a scale of one to 70, with one being the poorest grade, and 70 being the most pristine example.

Numbers 60 to 70 are generally the most sought-after by collectors and are known as Mint State coins.

Pieces that fetch thousands at auction are commonly found in MS67, MS68, and MS69 conditions.

An MS-70 is near-impossible to find among older coins.

Many old coins can go for thousands because of their historic value.

One coin with a “doomed denomination” could sell for $690,000.

The 20-cent piece came from the 1870s.

But coins don’t need to be centuries old to be worth a lot of money.

Errors minted onto coins can be worth a premium to collectors.

One Lincoln penny could be worth 20,000 times face value thanks to an error.

One old coin found in dirt was waiting to be found since the 1630s.

A pawn expert recently shared one of the “rarest ever” historic coins.