Friday, 29th September 2006 (3789 views)

A rare gold coin first minted during the reign of King Charles I has been auctioned off for £305,000, making it the most expensive item of legal tender to ever sell in the UK.

The item was originally listed with estimates around £200,000 before it was auctioned at Baldwin's auction house in London earlier this week, but once bidding began, it was clear the value was well under its final price.

The pre-Civil War coin, which is known in historical circles as a Triple Unite, is over 370 years old and has a monetary value of just £3.

It was originally crafted by Dutch medallist Abraham van der Dort on commission from the monarch but because the King did not approve of the coin's design it was never minted en masse and this is the only specimen of the batch that remains.

After a great deal of rival bidding, the coin was eventually secured by an anonymous telephone bidder for over 150 per cent of its estimate price, and over 100,000 times its actual legal value.

 

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