The largest gold coin in the world has been sold for $4m (£2.6m) at an auction in Vienna.

The Maple Leaf coin measures 53cm (21in) in diameter, weighs 100kg (200lb) and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The coin was bought by a Spanish precious metal company on Friday, the auction house Dorotheum said.

The auction had been ordered by the administrator of an Austrian investment group that had gone bankrupt.

The group, AvW Invest, had bought the coin in 2007. It is one of only five Canadian Maple Leaf coins that carry a face value of almost $1m (£660,000) and bears the image of Queen Elizabeth II.

It was sold for far more than its face value because of the current high price of gold on the world market, the auction house said.