Edward VIII sovereign coin is one of the rarest and most collectible coins in the world, featuring Britain’s King Edward VIII, who abdicated in Dec 1936 in order to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Only 6 coins were prepared as part of a trial set when Edward became king in Jan 1936, made from 22-carat gold, slightly smaller and lighter than a modern pound coin and were never released to the public.
This historically significant coin has sold for £1 million (HK$10.17 million) in a new record for the sale of a British coin.
According to The Royal Mint, the coin is 1 of only 2 in private ownership and the remaining 4 are in museums. It was previously owned by a collector in the United States, who bought it for £516,000 (HK$5.21 million) at an auction in 2014.