The Widow’s Mite That Wasn’t

By Nancy Flory Published on May 6, 2017

A widow gave the coin, but it wasn’t a widow’s mite. The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, gave a rare coin to GracePoint Church in Valparaiso, Indiana, as “seed money” for a new building.

The eight-year-old congregation has been holding services in an elementary school. They had only a couple more days to meet a financial deadline to get the new building.

The church had no idea how valuable the coin was. “The widow told us it was rare,” said Pastor Ben Lamb, “but we never dreamed how huge the true value was or the money it could ultimately bring for GracePoint Church.” The auction house they chose advanced them the money they needed to meet the deadline

Last week, the coin sold at auction for $517,000. The bidding was fierce.

Only One of Ten

“This is one of only ten known surviving 1866 proof Liberty Head double eagles,” said the auction house’s director of numismatics. Only 30 were made. Of the ten surviving coins, only 7 are in private hands.

The coin was one of the earliest to bear the motto “In God We Trust.” The motto first appeared two years earlier on two-cent coins.

Lamb said the widow had held onto the coin following her husband’s death. Four years ago four men broke in to steal it, and she and the coin were only saved by a neighbor. After that, she told the pastor, the coin was “a thorn in her side.”

“This coin is an incredible gift in God’s story,” said Lamb. “Although this gold piece brought grief to the widow for many years, ultimately it brought incredible joy. 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.”

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