A £1m fundraising effort by a Dorset museum to restore a tank was boosted when a rare coin was discovered inside it.
A German coin from the Second World War was found inside a King Tiger V2 tank during restoration work at The Tank Museum in Bovington, Dorset.
Apprentice vehicle technician James Trevett uncovered the 5 Reichspfennig coin while helping to strip down the historic tank.
Nik Wyness, director of marketing and engagement at The Tank Museum, said: "While the coin discovered is worth only a few pounds, it is a wonderful, evocative item that is itself part of the history of this vehicle and the story it tells."
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The coin, believed to have been dropped by a German engineer in 1943, could have been lost by someone working on or testing the tank.
Mr Wyness said: "We are removing all the parts and inspecting them to see what needs replacing, fixing or reverse engineering.
"And it was during this process that the coin was found underneath the left-hand fuel tank, which is below the turret."
Additional items found inside the tank include a brick, broken hoses, tools and a piece of paper that may be a wiring diagram.
The King Tiger V2 is the oldest surviving model of its kind and is currently being restored to working order as part of a £1 million fundraising project, for which around half the funds have already been raised.
This tank is the only surviving King Tiger equipped with a pre-production turret designed by Porsche.
Built in December 1943, it spent its service life at the Henschel testing facility in Germany and was found fully stowed and ready to fight when Allied forces overran the site.
Although fully equipped, there is no evidence it ever fired in combat.
Mr Wyness said: "We already have the world’s only working Tiger I – called 131 – and to also have an operational King Tiger to join it would be truly unique.
"The project is being led by our workshop team, supported by a range of carefully selected partners from across Europe.
"We’ll use the project as a springboard for further research, to develop new skills and train the next generation of heritage engineers – using external experts to guide us where necessary."
The tank, also known as the Tiger II or 'Königstiger,' was among the most powerful tanks of the Second World War.
Donations can be made at the Tank Museum, website, and the restoration progress can be followed on The Tank Museum Workshop YouTube channel.
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