The late Geoffrey Cope, the former head of Skopes menswear, also happened to be one of England’s most important numismatists. Cope’s fascination with old coins began during his teens, when he visited a local coin shop and purchased an 1887 Jubilee-type half crown. According to his sons Simon and Jonathan, “This interest quickly became a passion and, over time, it grew to become an obsession.” Amassed over 50 years, Cope’s nationally significant collection tells the story of Britain from the Roman emperor Hadrian to Queen Victoria. Nearly 1,000 pieces will be sold in a two-part auction in Zurich. The most expensive item—perhaps the most important coin in the U.K.—is valued at over $900,000. An early machine-produced coin from the reign of Charles II, it is one of 16 surviving examples. —Jeanne Malle

The second part of the auction will take place in October.