A RARE coin dating back to the American Declaration of Independence has been found at the bottom of a toffee tin

The controversial coin is expected to sell for around $39,000, although it was once worth much more.

A RARE coin dating back to the year of the American Declaration of Independence has been found at the bottom of a toffee tin.

The Continental Dollar is expected to sell for around $39,000 when it goes under the hammer at Wotton Auction Rooms in October.

But the coin was once worth much more, with one example selling for a record-breaking $230,000 at auction in 2009.

Wotton Auction Rooms found the coin from 1776 while valuing items from a private vendor.

It was found in a toffee tin among jewelry, carved stone, and fossils, auctioneer Joseph Trinder told Stroud Times.

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

"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 Continental Dollar measures 38 millimeters across and is made of pewter.

Also known as the Fugio Dollar, the coin's obverse depicts 13 chain links, representing the plea for the Thirteen Colonies to remain united.

The design features a sundial on the reverse with "Fugio," or "I fly" in Latin.

"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," said Trinder.

Around 6,000 of the $1 coin were made and it is estimated that only 100 or so exist today.

The coin was returned to the US for authentication due to its rarity and the fact that many fakes exist.

The Numismatic Guaranty Company confirmed the find to be real.

"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," said Trinder.

"To think this is a coin that dates back to the year of [America's] independence, and to have it found in the UK, is unique."

The auctioneer shared that Wotton Auction Rooms had not found a record of another example of the coin found in the UK.

The Continental Dollar will go up for sale at Wotton Auction Rooms on October 3.

The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with coin expert Greg Bennick on the coin's background and his predictions for the auction.

Bennick has 40 years of expertise in the field and is a board member at the two largest US specialty coin organizations.

"The Continental Dollar is a controversial coin in recent years and the fact that this example was found in the UK lends a new level to the controversy!" said the expert.

He noted that collectors believed for many generations that the Continental Dollar was made in the US in 1776.

"Extensive research in the last few years by my friends Erik Goldstein and David McCarthy has suggested somewhat conclusively that these coins were minted in the UK, potentially as souvenirs!" said Bennick.

The Continental Dollars previously racked up a high price tag, with one example selling at an auction record of $230,000 in 2009.

"This is a very controversial coin, especially for those who paid $100,000 and up for an example years ago," said the expert.

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You may be holding something valuable in your wallet. Check out these articles on rare coins to see if you may have a treasure hidden deep in your pockets.

More recently, one of the coins sold for $39,600 in August this year.

Bennick estimated that the coin would sell for $26,000 to over $39,000 at the auction in October.

"This is because the coins' originality as a piece of numismatic Americana have been in question since the Goldstein/McCarthy articles came out," he said.

Other coins have picked up a hefty price tag.

Check out the three key details on a nickel that make it worth $650,000.

Plus, the "red" detail to look for on the front of a penny that makes it worth $20,000.

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