My bright idea to avert the next financial crisis – mint a few more novelty coins

Forget quantitative easing – the Royal Mint should run off a few choice coins here and there where the Queen’s crown is a bit wonky, or the year is wrong

This week saw the country’s most valuable coin return to our soils after being purchased by a private British buyer from an American collector. The Edward VIII sovereign, one of six that were minted but never mass-produced due to the king’s abdication, exchanged hands for a cool £1m, despite having a face value of only £1. Only one other is in private hands; the other four are in museums and other public institutions.

Imagine owning a one million pound coin. Where would you put it? The pressure. I never even take my wedding rings off after the time I lost one for days, only to find it in a random trouser pocket. I nearly died from a heart attack in the interim. My ring is extremely cheap compared to this coin (though probably a lot harder to lose). I don’t imagine you’d carry it on your person and if you did, you’d be a prize idiot – which brings me on to a bright idea I’ve had for how to solve economic crises.

Forget quantitative easing – I’ve always thought the idea of injecting virtual money into the system is an accident waiting to happen. Instead, the Royal Mint should boost our finances by manufacturing more of the real thing. Not reams of notes – just a few choice coins here and there where the Queen’s crown is a bit wonky, or the year is wrong. All you’d need is a gullible American or two and hey presto, a collector’s item and a few extra million in the coffers.