A PRIZED coin collection with some of the rarest examples of hammered gold in British history has sold for £1.1million

A Charles I piece from 1643 was the top item, going for £222,000. It was struck by his royalist supporters at the height of the Civil War

A prized coin collection, featuring some of the rarest examples of hammered gold in British history, has sold for £1.1million at auction.

The top item was a Charles I piece from 1643, which went for £222,000.

It was struck by his royalist supporters at the height of the Civil War, and shows him as a “peace-bringer” in the years before his beheading.

An 1839 coin, depicting Queen Victoria as poet Edmund Spencer’s “Faerie Queen”, was close behind, selling for £204,000. Only 400 of them were ever made.

And a special £5 coin from 1991, featuring the head of Elizabeth II, fetched £7,800.

Auction manager Louis Davern said: “It was a rare privilege to auction some of the finest British coins known.

“There was competitive bidding across the British gold from hammered examples all the way through to Elizabeth II gold coinage.

“The Charles I Triple Unite is an exceptionally rare and historically significant coin valued at 60 shillings, the highest English hammered denomination ever struck.

“Produced at the Oxford mint following the king’s retreat from Parliament-controlled London, these coins were created to curry favour with the elites and encourage support for the Royalist cause during the Civil War.

“Intended as a temporary measure to fund the king’s campaign, the majority were melted down after the conflict, making surviving examples extraordinarily rare.

“This combination of scarcity, artistry, and historic value ensures the

"Triple Unite’s place as a standout addition to any collection of British hammered gold coins.”

In all, 220 rare coins were auctioned in Mary­lebone, central London.