Lord of the Rings coin collection to go on sale

A large collection of commemorative coins, including a Lord of the Rings, 2012 London Olympics and numerous Queen Elizabeth II sets, is to be auctioned.

The privately-owned collection from a deceased estate in Horsham, West Sussex, will be sold at auction by Charterhouse Auctioneers, in Sherborne, Dorset, later this month.

The collection, which is expected to sell for £3,000, includes a large variety of silver and cupro-nickel coins.

Auctioneer Richard Bromell said the Lord of the Rings collection which comes with plastic protective cases, boxes and associated paperwork, was "very special and attractive because of its link to history".

The Royal Mint has been issuing annual sets since 1971.

Mr Bromell said: "Everyone collects something - it might not be commemorative coins but most people have a passion for something".

The auctioneer said he had seen people collect "far more unusual things than coins" and one of his clients liked to collect combine harvesters.

"We've even sold a collection of motorbikes which came all the way from Japan," he said.

"We are all custodians of our collection, which we enjoy for as long as we can before passing it on," he said.

"Coins are easy to collect, quite simple to look after and don't take up much space.

"They are a wonderful thing to accumulate."

The auction takes place on 27 February.

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