The only remaining 1609 centen coin, the biggest solid gold coin to be minted in Spain and considered to be the most expensive in the world, was sold at auction today in Barcelona for its reserve price of 800,000 euros.

Today's sale, organised by auctioneers Aureo & Calicó, had generated enormous interest amongst potential buyers for the so-called "Knight of the Yndias" collection, which comprises 2,200 pieces of gold from Spain and her former colonies.  1,000 of the coins were auctioned yesterday and today.

Aureo & Calicó's coin specialist, Eduard Domingo, told the media that "the coins, all of them solid gold, were minted between the first century (Roman) and the 20th century (during the reign of Alfonso XIII)".

As well as the 200 people present today at the auction, some 1,200 bids had been received by the auctioneers in advance of today's sale.

The successful bidder, identified only as bidder no. 74, a dealer from central Europe, could not hide his surprise when no-one else raised his opening bid of 800,000 euros for the coin minted in Segovia.

During today's sale another gold centen coin was auctioned, this time dating from 1633, one of four known to exist around the world, including one on show in the National Archeological Museum in Madrid, and it too went for its reserve price of 500,000 euros.

Domingo pointed out that "although the two 'centén' coins were the most spectacular pieces", they were not necessarily the most important at today's auction, where unusual Visigoth and Islamic coins were also sold, as well as the first aureus from the reign of Emperor Vitellius, minted in Tarraco, which had a reserve price of 2,500 euros and which was finally sold for 23,000 euros.
 
Other coins that were sold for much more than their reserve price were the first gold coin to be minted during the Aragon-Navarra period of rule, an 11th century 'mancuso' which had a reserve price of 6,000 euros and was sold for 40,000, and the first coin to be minted in Leon, a 'morabetino' which fetched 50,000 euros, double its reserve price.