A precious gold coin, that's in the Guinness Book of Records for its unsurpassed purity, was stolen from a museum in Germany in the early hours of Monday.

The coin, which weighs more than 200 pounds and has a diameter of more than 20 inches, was taken from the Bode Museum in Berlin after 2 a.m. local time.

The coin, nicknamed "the "Big Maple Leaf," was issued by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's state visit to Germany. It has a face value of more than $1 million and a purity of 999.99/1000 gold.

The coin had been in the Bode Museum collection since 2010.

After the theft, Berlin police say a ladder was found near railway tracks close to the museum. They are investigating if it was used in the burglary.

The coin has a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on one side and a maple leaf on the other.