"The widow told us the coin was rare but we never dreamed how huge the true value was or the money it could ultimately bring for GracePoint Church" said lead pastor Ben Lamb.

In fact, Heritage Auctions expects to sell it for $300,000 or more in a public auction in the Chicago area and online on April 27th. 

The coin is an 1866 proof Liberty Head double eagle with the motto "In God We Trust."  It's one of the earliest uses of the motto and especially meaningful to GracePoint. (Photo Credit: CBN News)

"It's ironic that the last few hours before our financial deadline, the congregation had to do exactly what the coin's motto said over a hundred years ago:  trust God," said Pastor Ben.

GracePoint began in 2009 and has held Sunday morning services since then in an elementary school.  The gift of the coin will allow it to have its own church building.

In expectation of its auction price, Heritage was able to immediately wire an advance payment of $150,000 to GracePoint to meet its deadline. "We were absolutely blown away," said Lamb. "We were completely stunned by the value of the coin."

The widow, who has chosen to remain anonymous, gave the coin to the church as "seed money" for its building program. Lamb says her husband was a quadriplegic for many years and used his time to study investing and coin collecting. The 1866 coin was the first one he had purchased. He passed away 14 years ago but she held on to the coin.

Heritage Auctions says the coin was authenticated as genuine in 1992 and graded Proof 65 (on a scale of 1 to 70) by the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation, one of the world's largest rare coin authentication companies.  

"According to U.S. Mint records, only 30 proof Liberty double eagles were struck in 1866," said Lisa Miller, Director of Numismatics at Heritage Auctions' New York office, "today we can track only 10 known surviving specimens and three of them are part of permanent collections."

The "in God we trust" motto first appeared on U.S. coins in 1864.

GracePoint's story is a reminder of the Luke chapter 21 story of the widow's two mites where Jesus praises the woman for giving two small coins to the synagogue.  "She, out of her poverty, put in all she had to live on," he said in verse four.

CBN News

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

MOVIEGUIDE's Review of the New Animated Film: DAVID

Massachusetts Drops Controversial Gender Ideology Mandate for Licensing Foster Care Parents

Nearly 40% of Women Suffer Severe Grief for Years after Abortion, Miscarriage: Study

Former Pfizer Vice President: COVID Shots Were 'Designed to Cause Injury,' Reduce Fertility

Dutch Sheets Shares a Warning from the US National Counterterrorism Center

Venezuela: Trump's Pressure Campaign and Maduro's Fury

President Trump Charts Accomplishments and Previews Future Policies during His Primetime Address

Secretary Hegseth and Franklin Graham Preach Gospel at Pentagon Christmas Service: 'Jesus Took Our Shame'

'Unsafe, Needless, Irreversible': HHS Sec. Kennedy Takes Sweeping Action to Reverse Biden-Era Policies on So-Called 'Gender Affirming Care'

Hobby Lobby Giving Away Half a Million Copies of Book Defending Biblical Christmas Story [Video]

Geothermal Blind Power Site Discovered in Nevada

Black Lives Matter Leader Indicted on Dozens of Federal Fraud Charges

DC Police Chief Forced Staff to Underreport Crime Counts, Subordinates Testify to House Oversight

'Shocking New Docs' Show Biden's DOJ Pressured FBI to Raid Mar-a-Lago, Says Grassley

Rob Reiner's Son Arrested In Connection With Brutal Slayings, Bail Set At $4 Million

Still No Suspect in Murder of Jewish MIT Professor

After Bondi Beach, the West Must Directly Confront Jihadism, Experts Say

'Chile Has Defeated Communism Today': José Antonio Kast Wins Presidential Race in Conservative Landslide

'He Takes My Breath Away': a Christmas Season Story from Give Him 15

President Trump Classifying Fentanyl as 'Weapon of Mass Destruction'