Jack Black has an unusual hobby – collecting coins.

The ‘King Kong’ star admits to being a numismatist – the official name for people who enjoy discovering and keeping old coinage.

Broadcaster and fellow hoarder Phill Jupitus said: “Jack is a numismatist. He was really excited about a coin he had, saying it was really old. When he showed it to me it turned out to be from only 1847, not really what I would call ancient."

He added to Britain’s Daily Express newspaper: “So I decided to give him three coins – one a Roman coin from the first century. I don’t think he could quite believe it.”

Meanwhile, Black admits he felt the pressure while shooting new movie 'King Kong' - because the blockbuster was filmed in the shadow of 'Lord of the Rings'.

The comic actor, who plays movie-maker Carl Denham in the blockbuster remake, claims the entire cast were nervous about the project because of director Peter Jackson's success with the famous Tolkien trilogy.

He said: "Sometimes I'd be walking through the set and see "Frodo was here" written on the wall, and I'd be like, 'You son of a gun, you're taunting me.'"