TAVISTOCK businessman John Emptage could not believe his luck when he found an unusual double-tailed pound coin in his change recently. 

Initial research with coin dealers indicated it could be a rare find. 

John also contacted the Royal Mint, who suggested he take professional advice to get the coin authenticated. 

John, who runs Wills & Probate Countrywide, said that he found the coin quite by chance, in a handful of pocket change, simply by turning one over. 

He said: 'I couldn't believe it, I hoped it would be worth enough to help me buy a new car.'

The coin appeared to be a very rare mis-struck Treasury Welsh pound coin with the leek stamped on both sides. 

Initial predictions estimated the coin could be worth £1,000 or more. 

However, an official Royal Mint spokesperson dashed his hopes by suggesting closer inspection of the coin just in case the coin was a spoof.

And close inspection revealed that someone had gone to great lengths to cut two coins and put them together, with the Queen's head ground off and inset into another coin with the centre ground down. 

The Royal Mint confirmed there are a number of such spoof coins about.  

The pound coin John Empatage found is worth absolutely nothing — and not even a pound.

John said: 'I thought it was probably just too good to be true, I don't get that lucky.'