A 1644 Swedish golden ducat minted in Riga under Queen Christina was the major talking point at Kunkur's rare coin sale last week in Osnabrück, Germany.

Künker's five day spring auction is always popular with collectors with many opportunities for investment in a variety of rare coins.

Sent to auction with an estimate of £26,000, the ducat returned a sensation final price of £226,000, a world record for Swedish and Baltic coins.

This extremely rare piece, which weighs 20.7g, features a bust of Queen Christina, with two lions holding the coat of arms of Riga on the reverse.

Queen Christina ruled Sweden between 1632 and 1655. She abdicated after converting to Catholicism.

Queen Christina of Sweden abdicated in 1655

The coin formed part of the impressive collection of Julius Hagander, which totalled £2.1m, more than 170% above the pre-sale estimate.

Coins from the Dr Heiz Pielsticker collection also did well, amassing £2.1m, 135% above estimate. A series of Chinese Thaler were among the highlights of the assortment.