1933 Double Eagle Coin

Auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York for US$18.9 million.

Another of the three star lots of Stuart Weitzman’s treasured collection, this US$20 gold coin is considered by collectors to be the most famous coin in the world. It is one of the few surviving specimens of the 445,500 Saint-Gaudens double eagles that were minted in 1933 – most of which were melted down after President Franklin D Roosevelt outlawed the ownership of gold coins. This is the only 1933 Double Eagle monetised and issued by the United States Mint, and authorised by the US government for private ownership, which explains why it sold for a record-shattering price in just over three minutes.