On June 25, 2010, the world's largest gold coin, a 2007 Canadian $ 1,000.000 Maple Leaf is to be auctioned at Vienna's Dorotheum.

This coin breaks all records: It weighs a staggering 100 kilos and measures 53 cm in diameter. But the most remarkable thing about this impressive coin, which cannot even be lifted by two men, is that it is made exclusively of the purest, finest and most refined gold: 999.99/1000 gold.The world record-breaking coin, which is also listed in the current edition of the Guinness Book of Records, bears the image of Elisabeth II, the largest official portrait of the Queen in solid gold. The back shows three maple leaves, the national symbol of Canada, where the coin was minted. The face value of $ 1 million is far below the current gold price. The starting price will be based on the daily gold rate.

This gigantic Maple Leaf was on loan to the �M�nzkabinett' of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, which houses one of the largest numismatic collections in the world. The impressive coin has now been entrusted to the Dorotheum. The Dorohteum, the leading auction house in central Europe has been holding important coin auctions with historic coins for more than 200 years. Fittingly, the high-carat coin will come under the hammer at a diamond auction.

To read the complete article, see:The world's largest gold coin to be auctioned at the Dorotheum(www.dorotheum.com/en/auctions/gold-coin.html)

The record-breaking coin had been on loan to a museum in Vienna when its owner, an Austrian investment firm went bankrupt.

Michael Beckers, an auction expert, told the BBC how new methods had to be used to mint the coin.

World's largest gold coin could fetch $4m at auction(news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/europe/10347270.stm)