Rare coin from 1776 found in bottom of toffee tin to sell at auction

A unique item that is worth thousands was recently found at the bottom of a toffee tin. 

Wotton Auction Rooms, an auction house based in Gloucestershire, England, recently came across an old coin when evaluating items brought in from a private vendor. 

Auctioneer Joseph Trinder said the coin is a continental dollar measuring 38 mm across and is made of pewter, minted in 1776, according to SWNS. 

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“This coin represents a discovery that is in the top five of my career to date, and the sort of thing every auctioneer up and down the country hopes they’ll find,” Trinder also said. 

The coin had a limited production run with only 6,000 made — and as many as 100 remain today, SWNS reported. 

Joseph Trinder, auctioneer and managing director of Wotton Auction Rooms, said the coin is truly a rare find.  (SWNS)

With its rarity top of mind, the coin was taken back to the United States for authentication by the Numismatic Guaranty Company based in Sarasota, Florida — and confirmed to be real. 

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“It was examined by a committee of specialists and X-rayed and put through other scientific tests, and we were delighted to receive a notification a few days ago to tell us that it is genuine,” Trinder said to SWNS.

The 1776 continental dollar will go up for auction in October.  (SWNS)

He added, “To think this is a coin that dates back to the year of [America’s] independence, and to have it found in the U.K., is unique.”

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Trinder said the auction house hasn’t confirmed any record of another example of the coin found in the U.K. 

The coin was one item found in a bin of knickknacks, such as jewelry, carved stone and fossils, SWNS reported. 

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“We had a jolly good look through and made sure we got to the bottom of everything inside,” he said. 

A rare coin dating back to 1776 was recently found in the bottom of a toffee tin.  (SWNS)

He added, “There were some really interesting pieces like gold coins and some other valuable items — but languishing at the bottom of this tin of treasures we found this amazing continental dollar coin.”

The coin will go up for sale at Wotton Auction Rooms on Oct. 3. 

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Fox News Digital reached out to Wotton Auction Rooms for further comment.