A RARE penny coin that was struck in 1933 is set to reach a world record price of £115,000 when it sells at auction.

Just seven of the coins are believed to have been made by the Royal Mint in that year, making it the rarest British coin of the 20th century.

The coin, which has the head of King George V on one side and Britannia on the other, is in excellent condition and this sale is a "once in a generation opportunity".

In 1933 the Royal Mint had no plans to produce any new penny coins as there were already plenty in people's pockets.

But a small number - believed to be seven - were produced following special requests for a commemorative coin to mark the year.

Three were created for the King to personally place under the foundation stones of important buildings that were under construction. It is known that two are in the Royal Mint Museum and the British Museum and two found their way to private collectors.

One of the coins was stolen in 1970, during construction at the Church of St. Cross, Middleton, Leeds, when thieves managed to remove it from the church's cornerstone.

There is no record of it ever coming up for sale and the coin's whereabouts remains a mystery.

The Bishop of Ripon ordered that another penny at St Mary's Church in Leeds should be unearthed and sold to prevent it being stolen too. That coin has also been in private hands since 1972.

Four pattern prototypes of the 1933 penny, which uses a design created by French engraver Andre Lavrillier, were also made. One of these set a new record for a 1933 penny earlier this year when it sold for £72,000, but online bidding for this coin is already at £72,600 with two weeks to go before the auction and the estimate is £115,000.

The coin has a great pedigree as it was part of the Norweb collection.

To read the complete article, see:
Rare penny coin set to fetch £115k at auction in 'once in a generation opportunity' (www.express.co.uk/news/uk/693862/rare-penny-coin-fetch-auction)