Extremely rare 1894 dime once owned by Jerry Buss sells for $1.3M

1894 dime value price guide variety errors

An extremely rare 1894 dime, one of only 24 minted and once owned by former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, has sold at auction for $1.32 million, including the buyer’s commission.

Only nine of the rare 1894-S dimes are known to exist, according to the auction house Stack’s Bowers Galleries. The dime was auctioned Thursday at the American Numismatic Association World’s Fair of Money in Chicago.

The 1894-S dime is one of only 24 that were minted.

The 1894-S dime is one of only 24 that were minted. (Stack’s Bowers Galleries)

The coin was once owned by the late Buss, who in addition to being the former owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, was also an avid collector of rare coins.

In 2016, an 1894-S dime sold for $2 million at a Florida auction.

Front of the 1894-S dime.

Front of the 1894-S dime. (Stack’s Bowers Galleries)

A rare 1876 20-cent piece was also auctioned at the Chicago event, selling for $456,000. First issued in 1875, 20-cent coins are described by Stack’s Bowers Galleries as “a one-year wonder.”

Front of the 1894-S dime,

Front of the 1894-S dime, (Stack’s Bowers Galleries)

Some 10,000 20-cent pieces were minted by the Carson City Mint in 1876 but were ordered destroyed by the government. The coin auctioned in Chicago is one of only 20 from the 10,000 minted at Carson City that escaped the melting pot.

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