Ohio Farm Family Finds Rare Dime Lost for Decades – and Earns Over $500,000 at Auction!
A rare dime bought by an Ohio farm family decades ago just sold for over half a million dollars—time to check your piggy bank! 🌐 #News #ToledoOH #Ohio #RareCoins
TOLEDO, OH — This article will make you want to check between the couch cushions for change! Sometimes, the most valuable treasures stay hidden in plain sight — or, in this case, tucked away in a Toledo, Ohio farm family’s vault. After more than four decades of secrecy, a rare dime, once bought as a safeguard for the future, has resurfaced and sold at auction for a staggering $506,250.
The Mysterious Dime Hidden Away for Decades
In 1975, the U.S. Mint in San Francisco produced millions of proof coin sets, each containing six coins and sold for just $7. These coins bore the distinctive “S” mint mark, a small identifier showing they were made in San Francisco.
However, two of those dimes mysteriously left the mint without the mark. When collectors discovered the error in the late 1970s, the rare coins quickly became objects of desire in the numismatic world.
A Family Heirloom Comes to Light
One of these two unique dimes found its way into the hands of an Ohio farm family. After their brother’s passing, three sisters inherited the coin, which had remained securely stored in a bank vault for more than 40 years.
The family’s dairy-farming parents had originally purchased the error coin back in 1978, seeing it not only as a collector’s piece but as a financial safety net in case of hard times.
Auction Brings Big Payoff
The sisters, choosing to remain anonymous, decided it was time to part with the coin. They entrusted it to GreatCollections, an auction house in Irvine, California, where the dime fetched a jaw-dropping $506,250 in an online auction that concluded Sunday. Ian Russell, the auction house’s president, confirmed the sale.
This isn’t the first time one of these rare “no S” proof dimes has made headlines. A similar coin sold for $456,000 in 2019, proving the increasing value of such collectible pieces. That same coin was resold to a private collector just months later for an undisclosed sum, demonstrating how rare finds can soar in value.
A Small Investment with Big Rewards
The Ohio farm family originally bought the dime for $18,200 in 1978 — equivalent to about $90,000 today. At the time, their parents saw it as a secure investment, holding onto it for decades. That foresight paid off, with the dime’s final sale bringing in over half a million dollars.
Though it started as a quirky collector’s item, the coin became a symbol of the family’s financial planning, tucked away just in case. Now, with its story complete, the dime has moved from the family’s vault into the hands of another collector, proving that small things can sometimes hold extraordinary value.
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