2016-08-10 Wed

A 4 dollar U.S. coin was minted in 1879 after a lot of persuasion by John Adam Kasson, the then minister plenipotentiary to Austria. A gold coin of almost the same weight as a French napoleon or a British sovereign was conceived to match the international standards.

The coin featured a giant star on one side with two versions. One version featured a feminine representation of Liberty with her hair up and the other with her hair down. The coin was not accepted as experts believed that the normal citizen in 1880 was not concerned about international trade. The government dropped the idea of minting these coins on a large scale. 425 coins were sold to various politicians for the price of the metal.

An auction at Bonham's LA, is hosting one of these rare coins with an estimate price of $50,000 to $60,000 on 6th September.

There are several reasons that contribute to the pricing of a rare or an old coin. The historical value, the rarity, the condition, the grading, the popularity are some of the few.

Stella coins were more or less used as a piece of jewellery for many years but still is a sought after coin in the world of numismatics because of its beautiful designs and rarity.