The Most Valuable Coin In The World

In 1933 the United States Mint struck 445,000 Double Eagle $20.00 gold coins. The design was the Augustus Saint Gaudens liberty front with the soaring eagle back, which he had created in 1907. What makes this coin truly interesting is that to solve the bank crisis President Roosevelt signed the Gold Reserve Act in 1934 outlawing the circulation or private possession of US gold coins, with the exception of collector coins. Being the year after the coins were minted it did not fall into this category and would stay off that list until a lawsuit in July of 2001. Until 1944 these Double Eagles were traded amongst collectors and the US Government and Secret Service stepped in to seize these now rare coins. One of these coins was acquired for a private collection held by King Farouk of Egypt in the 1940’s. 40 years later the Double Eagle surfaced in New York and seized from a coin dealer. A lawsuit continued until 2001 and the coin was set up for auction in July 2002. The Double Eagle $20.00 gold coin sold for an amazing $7,590,020 and became the most expensive coin in the world. So just remember that pocket change you have might be worth a little more then you bargained for.

After the world’s most expensive blue diamond, The Wittelsbach, was sold to diamond dealer - Laurence Graff - last year for $24.3 million, Sotheby’s has another impressive blue diamond for the next auction.

Although overall diamond prices are down, the sales for the big and rare stones are still pretty strong. Petra Diamonds, a miner of stones in Africa, is hoping for a high number for their first sale of a cut and polished stone through Sotheby's. They will be selling a 7.03-carat blue diamond from the Cullinan mine in South Africa. The Cullinan mine has yielded most of the best blue diamonds in the world. The stone has a fancy vivid blue color and is rated internally flawless. Petra decided to sell the stone as cut and polished versus selling the rough as they usually do because they are hoping to get maximum exposure for the gem.

The blue beauty will be shown in Hong Kong, Paris, New York and London before winding up in Geneva for the Sotheby’s auction on May 12th, where it is estimated to sell for as much as $8.5 million.

Phillies Championship Bling

The Championship Ring is ring was designed to tell a story and be an outstanding keepsake. The attention to detail is the proud work of seven committee members appointed by the Phillies clubhouse, and manufactured by a Massachusetts-based jewelry company.

Each ring is made of 14 karat white gold and contains 103 diamonds, totaling 3.84 carats. The 103 diamonds represent the 92 regular season wins and 11 postseason wins. On the left side of each ring, you'll find the player's name and number along with the Liberty Bell. The right side of the ring shows the World Series trophy rising out of Citizens Bank signifying the remarkable support of the fans, as well as the initials of the two World Series teams and the number of games won by each team. The top of the ring is crowned with a field of rubies, topped with the Phillies' signature "P" set in diamonds. The title "World Champions" is written along the top of and bottom of the ring's rim.