Art Mint Celebrates Greatest U.S. Coins

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Months before the U.S. Mint announced its impressive numismatic lineup for the nation’s 250th anniversary, a number of foreign private mints began releasing collector coins that celebrate the U.S. semiquincentennial.

Many feature images of various Founding Fathers and scenes from the American Revolution. Some include reproductions of famous U.S. coins, such as recent Royal Spanish Mint pieces that depict the famous 1794 silver dollar and the 1893 Isabella quarter.

Greatest United States Collector Coins

A new series called Greatest United States Coins from Art Mint—an award-winning private mint in Paris, France—reproduces 10 of the most iconic coins in American numismatic history. Each of these 50mm pieces is a $5 legal-tender issue for the island nation of Niue made of 2 ounces of .999-fine silver with a mintage of 500.

Many world issues feature a design on only one side because mints are  legally required to include a monarch’s effigy on the other, but each of these new pieces reproduces both sides of the legendary originals.

Part of their appeal is the opportunity to own a legal-tender example of controversial and extremely valuable coins like the 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle (gold $20). They also complement the U.S. Mint’s forthcoming Best of the Mint coin and medal series and even include some of the same coins.

The Art Mint pieces depict the icons of the past as they have never been seen before. They feature a unique combination of gold-plated, proof, and antiqued-silver finishes on each coin using a proprietary technique developed by Art Mint. As the mint explains, “This cutting-edge technology gives every coin a natural patina and depth that brings history to life like never before—merging timeless artistry with 21st-century craftsmanship.”

In addition, each piece is individually serially numbered on its edge and housed in a display case shaped like a small book. It opens with a space for the coin on the right side and the certificate of authenticity on the left.

1933 Double Eagle

The 1933 Saint-Gaudens double eagle is perhaps the most notorious coin in American numismatic history. Its entire mintage of 445,000 was ordered to be melted after President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued his famous Executive Order 6102 in April of that year. This mandate required U.S. citizens to surrender their gold to the government. Today, we know that approximately 20 examples escaped the U.S. Mint secretly, likely through a mint cashier named George McCann.

Not surprisingly, this coin ranks No. 1 in Jeff Garrett’s 100 Greatest United States Coins (now in its 6th edition from Whitman), although in some earlier editions it ranked second or third.

Two examples were sent to the Smithsonian Institution, where they remain, and only one has been monetized for private ownership. The latter example set the record for the most valuable coin ever sold at auction in 2021, when it garnered almost $18.9 million.

1804 Silver Dollar

The 1803 Draped Bust silver dollar was thought by early-19th-century collectors to be the last coin of that series. But three decades after its release, it was revealed that the government struck 1804-dated silver dollars for inclusion in special proof sets, including the famous King of Siam set issued at the State Department’s request for presentation to foreign dignitaries in the Far East.

The 1804 dollar (currently No. 2 on Garrett’s 100 Greatest United States Coins list) was the king of American coins for a long time. Ever since 1962, there were 15 known examples, including the eight Class I, or original, examples in proof and the seven Class II and III restrikes.

However, last year, a 16th example—the finest Class III coin—was discovered within the numismatic estate of the late New York banker James A. Stack (no relation to the late Harvey G. Stack of Stack’s Bowers Galleries). In December 2025, that coin sold for $6 million at auction, making it the second most valuable 1804 dollar. (The highest price paid is $7.68 million, realized in August 2021 for the sole Proof-68 example of a Class I coin that collector D. Brent Pogue held in his remarkable collection.)

Future Issues

The third and fourth releases in this fun series of collector coins are expected this spring and reproduce, respectively, the 1913 Liberty Head nickel (an example of which appeared in a 1973 episode of Hawaii Five-O) and the 1787 Fugio cent, which was likely partly designed by Benjamin Franklin. The remaining six coins will be issued over the next three years.

The complete collection will be a unique set of iconic pieces, sure to inspire those who collect them to learn more about the storied histories of the originals.

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