Stuart Weitzman's 'Three Treasures' Coin Collection Auctions for a Smashing $32 Million USD: The 1933 Double Eagle Coin set the new auction world record selling for $18.9 million USD.
The 1933 Double Eagle Coin Courtesy of Sotheby s. Photography by SquareMoose A unique US coin broke its own world record yesterday when it sold for a staggering $18.9m (including fees), comfortably exceeding both its previous price of $7.6m set in 2002, and its pre-sale estimate of $10m to $15m. It also set a new world record for a coin at auction.
The coin was previously part of a collection amassed by the US-based entrepreneur and renowned luxury shoe designer, Stuart Weitzman, items from which were presented at a three-lot sale at Sotheby’s in New York yesterday.
The so-called Double Eagle (1933) was a series commissioned by President Roosevelt but melted down prior to circulation. The coin’s rarity is boosted by the fact that it is the only example to have been legally sanctioned for private ownership by the US Government. The new owner remains anonymous.
New York Times has reported that the only legal-to-own example of the notorious never-issued gold coin will be auctioned by
Sotheby’s on June 8 after being held in a private collection for 20 years.
The March 10 piece by
James Barron also identified the owner of the coin, who until now has remained anonymous. Purchasing the coin for a then-record-breaking $7,590,020 USD on July 30, 2002, footwear designer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist
Stuart Weitzman was known only as “Mr. Big” at the time of the sale. A childhood fascination with stamps and coins led him to purchase not only the 1933 double eagle but also the
1856 one-cent Magenta stamp from