Henry medal bought for a king’s ransom
A RARE Henry VIII medal has sold for £246,000 – four times its estimate.
The gold Supremacy Medal, one of only five known to exist, sparked a bidding war at auction.
It is the only one not in a museum collection.
The artefact from 1545 commemorates Henry VIII becoming head of the Anglican Church and turning away from Rome.
The auctioneers, Lugdunum in Switzerland, said it is the “kind of medal that only appears on the market once in a lifetime”.
Experts think the Supremacy Medal is the first English commemorative medal ever produced.
The vendor will donate the proceeds towards the reconstruction of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris after the fire in 2019.