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Historic 1652 coin found in furniture sells for $2.5M at California auction

By Chris Williams
Published  November 20, 2024 5:37pm EST
Money
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Rare coin discovered in furniture sells for $2.5M at auction

A small silver coin, minted in Boston in 1652 and about the size of a nickel, set a world record on Tuesday, November 19, by selling for $2.5 million at a California auction house. (Credit: Stack’s Bowers Galleries via Storyful)

The Brief

    • A rare 1652 Boston coin found in Amsterdam furniture sold for $2.5M at a California auction.
    • It's believed to have originated from Boston's Quincy family, and is linked to Abigail Adams and U.S. history.
    • The sale shattered the previous pre-Revolution American coin record of $646,250.

A coin found in furniture sold for $2.5 million at a Californian auction house.

Stack’s Bowers Galleries said the small silver coin, about the size of a nickel, was struck in Boston in 1652. 

The coin was found in an old cabinet in Amsterdam around 2016. The owner recently decided to research more about the coin. 

It's believed the coin came from the Quincy family of Boston. The family was a political dynasty that included Abigail Adams (née Smith), the wife of John Adams, who was ambassador to the Netherlands in the 1770s and 1780s, and later the second President of the United States.

 Stack’s Bowers Galleries said the recent price supposed the previous record price of $646,250 for an American coin that struck before the Revolution. 

The Source

  • Storyful contributed to this report based on information from Stack’s Bowers Galleries. This story was reported from Los Angeles.