British 1703 coin made from gold seized from Spanish galleon sells for world ...

You don't want to lose that down the back of the sofa! British 1703 coin made using gold seized from Spanish treasure ship sells for world record £845,000 Price beats the previous world record for a British coin by more than £200,000 Only 20 of the 'Vigo' five guinea pieces were minted, to celebrate a naval victory  The coins were made out of 7.5lbs of gold captured from a Spanish galleon 

By Joel Adams For Mailonline

Published: 20:19 GMT, 30 January 2019 | Updated: 20:19 GMT, 30 January 2019

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A 300-year-old British coin has sold at auction for a world-record price of £845,000.

The five guinea 'Vigo' coin dates to 1703 and was made using gold seized by the British from a Spanish treasure ship at the Battle of Vigo Bay.

Just 20 of the coins were struck, in celebration of the victory, and they are now among the most collectable pieces of coinage in the world.

The Queen Anne Vigo coin was sold by London auctioneers Baldwin's of St. James's.

It was eventually bought by a phone bidder for a hammer price of £703,000. With fees added on the total price paid for it was £845,000.

The 20 five guinea Vigo coins were struck from gold plundered from a Spanish galleon, They were struck with a distinctive 'VIGO' mark

The 20 five guinea Vigo coins were struck from gold plundered from a Spanish galleon, They were struck with a distinctive 'VIGO' mark

The whopping price is the highest ever shelled out for a British coin, smashing the previous record of £630,000 for an 1817 George III silver crown.

The series of Vigo coins were made out of 7.5lbs of gold captured from a Spanish galleon. After the British failed to capture Cadiz in October 1702, the fleet intercepted Spanish treasure ships laden with Aztec and Inca gold, coming back

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