Geneva: A rare gold coin minted in 1609 for Spain’s King Philip III has set a new record as the most valuable coin in Europe, selling for 2,817,500 Swiss francs (approximately $3.49 million) at an auction in Switzerland on Monday.
The unique 339-gram coin, which had a starting price of 2 million Swiss francs, was auctioned by Numismatica Genevensis SA, confirming it has broken the European record for the highest-priced coin.
Known as the Centen, or 100 escudos in the former Spanish currency, the coin was made in the central Spanish city of Segovia from gold brought from the Americas.
According to auction house founder Alain Baron, it was a symbol of royal wealth and power, equivalent to several years’ salary, and remains the largest coin in modern European history.
The coin was lost for several centuries before resurfacing in the United States around 1950, where a New York collector purchased it. A decade later, it was sold to a Spanish buyer, and eventually it was auctioned to another private collector, whose identity remains undisclosed.
Baron described it as “truly a royal gift, a regal gift for other kings or queens. The next owner will, in some way, experience what it is like to hold a piece given by a king to another king.”
The auction house reported interest from buyers across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, many seeking it as a “trophy asset,” along with some institutions considering it for investment purposes.
Previously, the record for Europe’s most expensive coin was held by a 100-ducat piece belonging to Ferdinand III of Habsburg, which sold for 1.95 million Swiss francs (approximately $2.42 million), according to Numismatica Genevensis SA director Frank Baldacci.
