A labourer who found one of Britain's rarest coins in his four-year-old son's toy treasure chest is celebrating today after it sold formore than £270,000.

The 35-year-old had been given the 'lost' 300-year-old Queen Anne Vigo five guinea coin by his late grandfather 30 years ago to playpirate games with.

After he bought his own son a treasure chest, he dug the shiny gold coin out of a drawer and gave it to him to play with.

But he decided to show it to an auctioneer when he suspected it might not be a replica that he always assumed it to be, and produced it from hispocket in a handful of other coins. Expert Gregory Tong told the unnamed man it was one of five lost coins out of 20 that were struck with goldseized by the British from Spanish treasure ships at the Battle of Vigo in 1702.

It sold today for a hammer price of £225,000. With fees added on, the overall price paid was more than £270,000.

Mr Tong said: 'When I first told the vendor what it could be worth, he couldn't believe it. He came back to see me the next day to see ifI had been pulling his leg.'

The coin was made 314 years ago and was the first British coin ever to feature the name of the battle it was won in. The series of Queen Anne'Vigo' five guinea pieces were produced as part of an attempt to detract attention from the failure of the British to capture the Spanishport of Cadiz, highlighting instead the haul of treasure they seized on their way home.

Even in 1703, when Sir Isaac Newton oversaw their production when he was master of the Royal Mint, they would have been extremely expensive andbought only by the rich.

To read the complete article, see:
Pot of gold: Rare300-year-old coin found in four-year-old's toy treasure chest sells for £270,000(www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3942766/Gold-coin-four-year-old-s-toy-treasure-chest-sells-270-000.html)

David sent along the catalogue description for the recently-sold piece, which says it was only the 6th known example offered for sale in 50years:

To read the complete article, see:
Fascinating world of the five-guinea piece(/www.antiquestradegazette.com/news/2005/fascinating-world-of-the-five-guinea-piece/)

To read the complete collection record, see:
Gold coin. Gold 5 guinea coin of Queen Anne, inscribed 'VIGO', made from gold from Spanish treasure ships.(www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/
collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=1174940001&objectid=1060264)

David adds:

To read the earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
DRAWER FIND: 1703 QUEEN ANNE VIGO FIVE GUINEA PIECE(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v15n48a24.html)
QUEEN ANNE 'VIGO' GOLD FIVE GUINEA FOUND(www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n44a26.html)