One of Britain’s rarest coins EVER goes under the hammer and could sell for £595,000

One of the rarest and most valuable British coins in existence will soon go up for auction and could fetch up to $750,000 or £595,000.

King Charles II’s lightning-fast Petition Crown – or Petition Crown as it is known – was struck in 1663 and is part of a collection of British and Roman coins intended for auction.

This particular petition wreath is part of the Cope Collection, which belonged to known numismatist Geoffrey Cope.

The coin collection will be auctioned in two lots in Zurich on May 8 and in October.

The collection includes two other notable pieces, among many others, a Testoon of King Henry VIII and an Oxford Crown.

What is special about this piece?

The Petition Crown, part of the multi-million dollar Cope Collection, is one of only sixteen in existence.

There’s no chance you’ll find one stuck between the sofa cushions, as the other fifteen petition crowns have fallen into the hands of millionaire private collectors or museum collections.

Coinage experts Numismatica Ars Classica said: “From our understanding, there are eight examples of the Petition Crown in museum collections and a further eight in private hands.

The Cope Collection Petition Crown is one of the finest examples of coins in the world.

It has been graded Mint State 63+ by the Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC), a third-party grading and authentication service. This is the highest rating given to a query crown by a third-party rating service.

The Petition Crown coin is considered a masterpiece and has always been extremely collectible. Records show the sale of a copy dating from 1742 for £20, or around £3,600 today.

In 2007, a Petiton Crown sold for £207,100 and in 2018 another sold for $649,000 in New York. Just this year, another Petiton Crown sold in New York for $960,000.

This suggests that this example could cost over a million dollars.

The Petiton Crown has a patriotic history behind it. It was struck by the famous medalist and coin designer Thomas Simon, who worked for the Royal Mint, in 1663.

The coin was created by Simon to “ask” King Charles II to reinstate him as sole chief engraver at the Royal Mint and also as a petition against contemporary coins designed by the Flemish brothers John and Joseph Roettiers.

Using a new mechanical coin machine, Simon printed a message on the edge of the coin asking the king to “compare this trial coin with the Dutch coin,” a dig at Flemish engravers.

The coin features a striking portrait of King Charles II, so detailed that even the shadow of the king’s neck veins can be made out.

Oxford Crown

Another prized piece up for auction in the Cope Collection is the famous Oxford Crown of King Charles I by Thomas Rawlins, which was minted in 1644.

This one is expected to fetch around £132,400 when it goes to auction, but experts at Numismatica Ars Classica say “this coin will most likely sell for more”.

The coin depicts King Charles I at Oxford during the English Civil War.

Only eleven original Oxford crowns exist, eight of which are in museum collections.

Teston of King Henry VIII

Another exceptionally rare coin in the Cope collection of 800 British coins is a Testoon of King Henry VIII.

This coin was minted in 1544. It has always been popular with collectors due to the striking portrait of King Henry VIII.

This represents a key moment in Henry VIII’s reign, when a lack of funds in the treasury led the Tudor government to introduce cheap metals into previously sterling silver coins – known as the Great Downgrade.

The Testoon of King Henry VIII from the Cope Collection is considered by experts to be the finest of all in existence and is a piece that Cope himself spent his entire life researching.

This one is expected to fetch the equivalent of £35,300 when it goes under the hammer, but again, experts at Numismatica Ars Classica think it will likely cost more.

David Guest, director of the Classical Numismatic Group, said: “The Cope Collection sale is one of the most significant dispersals of British coins in decades.

“Every era of coin production in the British Isles is represented in the collection.

“Among many great rarities, the Charles II Petition Crown stands out, which in the centuries since its production has developed a mythic status among numismatists and coin collectors due to its artistry .”