Queen Anne 1703 VIGO Five-Guinea Gold Coin
Very Fine: £200,000
Extremely Fine: Upto £700,000
A rare Queen Anne 1703 VIGO Five-Guinea gold coin, minted from captured Spanish treasure, sold for £225,000 ($290,000+) in 2016 after being discovered in a toy chest. Another high-grade specimen reached a record $1.1 million ($1,080,000) at a 2019 New York auction. Only about 15–20 of these specific, historic coins are known to exist.
There are no official mintage records for the
1703 Queen Anne Vigo Five-Guinea coin. However, experts believe approximately 20 coins were originally struck.
These coins were minted under the supervision of Sir Isaac Newton, then Master of the Mint, using a very limited supply of gold—roughly 7.5 lbs—captured from Spanish treasure ships at the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702
Key Details of the Sale
- The 2016 Find: A man from Bishop’s Stortford, UK, sold a VIGO five-guinea coin—which his grandfather gave him to play with as a child—for £225,000 at Boningtons Auctioneers.
- Value Factors: The coins were struck in extremely limited numbers (around 20) using gold seized from Franco-Spanish treasure ships in Vigo Bay on October 23, 1702, making them highly desirable to collectors.
- Record Price: The highest known sale price for a Queen Anne VIGO 5 Guineas is $1,080,000, sold in 2019.
- Identification: The coin features the word “VIGO” stamped below Queen Anne’s bust to commemorate the victory.