A stolen coin worth nearly $600,000 has been returned to Poland after it was tracked down in Australia.
The 1813 Holey Dollar was stolen from a museum collection in Toruń, Poland, between 2011 and 2018 before twice ending up on the auction block in Germany, Australian Federal Police said today in a statement.
From Germany, the coin made its way to Melbourne, where it was sold to an Australian collector in Perth for AU$525,000 (NZ$584,128).
Polish authorities tracked the artefact across the world after it was reported missing.
The Australian Federal Police said the coin was seized "willingly" last August after the owner was identified through its most recent seller – an Australian company specialising in rare coins.
"No Australian-based individuals are expected to face criminal charges, as all local transactions were made in good faith, with parties unaware at the time the coin had been stolen," police said.
Fashioned from what was originally a 1777 Spanish Silver Dollar, the Holey Dollar was minted in Mexico during the reign of Spain’s King Charles III.
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