An incredibly rare £5 coin that was minted eighty-five years ago has exchanged hands for a record-breaking £1.65million at auction.
The gold coin, minted in honour of Edward VIII in in 1936, has become the most sought after coin in British history.
The rare coin was due to enter circulation in January 1937, however, after Edward VIII was abdicated in December 1936, the Royal Mint suspended production.
The future king quit the thrown to marry Wallis Simpson – meaning only three prototypes were ever produced.
The £5 coin was controversial even before his abdication as he chose to show his face in profile from the left, when tradition dictated it should be the right.
The sale by a collector at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, makes it the most expensive British coin to have ever traded hands, smashing the £1million for an Edward VIII trial Sovereign in 2020.
The coin has St George on horseback slaying a dragon on its reverse.
The front of the 1.4inch diameter coin carries a left facing bust of Edward, with St George on horseback slaying a dragon on its reverse.
The Duke of Windsor stepped down from power so he could marry socialite Wallis Simpson.
They were estranged from the Royal Family and spent most of the remainder of their lives in France.
The previous record for the most expensive British coin sold at auction was for a king William IV proof five pounds from 1831, which sold in Monaco last October for an eye-watering £703,000.
Think you may be sitting on a fortune? See our guide on rare 50p coins and valuable money, here.
