In the United States, a silver five-cent coin minted in 1792 sold for a record $2.93 million.
A tiny silver coin from the early years of the United States has become one of the biggest numismatic stories of 2026.
The 1792 Half Disme sold for $2,928,000 at the prestigious GACC U.S. Coins Signature auction held by Heritage Auctions on October 8–9. The coin received 66 bids, and the final price was the highest ever for a Half Disme sold at auction.
This more than doubled the previous record of $1.41 million, set at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2013.
In total, Heritage Auctions’ sale of U.S. coins and banknotes brought in more than $19 million. The coin sale realized $10,665,743, while the banknotes, offered October 6–9, brought in more than $8.7 million.
The history of this coin is directly connected to the administration of President George Washington. On April 2, 1792, the U.S. Congress passed the Coinage Act, which established the U.S. Mint and introduced the country’s monetary system. Among the denominations it authorized was the Half Disme, or half a disme, equivalent to five cents. However, the newly established Mint faced a problem: its Philadelphia facility was not yet ready to strike coins. So the first Half Disme coins were made in the workshop of Philadelphia sawmaker John Harper. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson recorded receiving 1,500 of these coins on July 13, 1792. Further research suggests that later that same year the Mint probably struck several hundred more.
Collectors traditionally classify the half disme as an experimental issue of 1792, but Professional Coin Grading Service classifies it as a regular federal issue. The U.S. Mint, in turn, considers the delivery of copper cents in March 1793 to be its first official delivery of coins for circulation.
The obverse of the coin depicts Liberty with flowing hair, while the reverse features an eagle and the inscription HALF DISME. It is valuable to numismatists for several reasons: its age, historical significance, and rare state of preservation.
