An ‘excessively rare’ silver penny
found during a family metal detecting trip in Oxfordshire could sell for
thousands at auction.
Issued by Henry of Anjou c. 1139-48,
the almost 900-year-old penny was struck during the Anarchy, a brutal civil war
which saw Henry and his mother, Empress Matilda, wrest control of South-Western
England away from King Stephen. On December 19, 1154, in the wake of Stephen’s
death, he was finally crowned Henry II of England.
The coin was discovered by
64-year-old landscaper John Denham in a farmer’s field in Wallingford while out
metal detecting with his sons, Simon and Steven Denham. The town of Wallingford
was once the easternmost stronghold of Henry’s supporters.
John, from South Oxfordshire, said:
“It was September and we were out metal detecting as a family. We go out most
weekends. We decided to revisit one of our favourite haunts and had been out
for around five hours when my detector gave the signal. The coin was buried
about four inches deep in the soil.
“We thought this penny might be
something special but, once it had been identified and recorded, we were still
surprised to learn how valuable it was.”
The coin, lot 314A, is due to be sold on October 26 in Hansons Auctioneers’ Historica, Coins, Banknotes and
Antiquities Auction with a guide price of £6,000-£7,000. It is one of the
rarest items in the sale.
Adam Staples, Historica expert at
Hansons, said: “The Corpus of Early Medieval Coin Finds at the Fitzwilliam
Museum in Cambridge has recorded only nine other coins of Henry’s ‘Round Cap’
type – two cut halfpennies, five incomplete coins and two full pennies.
“John’s coin is the only complete
example recorded where both the mint town and name of the moneyer can be read.
The reverse of the penny tells us that it was made by Robertus at the
Wallingford mint, a moneyer who was not previously known to have minted coins
there. This makes it excessively rare.”
The coin shortly after it was found.
Simon Denham, 39, a landscaper,
said: “Dad found the coin with a metal detector I gifted him! As a family,
we’re passionate about metal detecting. We’re a team. We’re in it purely for
the enjoyment of making the finds. It’s a reward seeing them come out of the
ground. It’s not about money. This is the first thing we’ve ever decided to
sell and we’re only doing that because the coin is so important.”
The family, all from South
Oxfordshire, have made some fascinating finds over the years including a rare
Saxon brooch, but say the coin discovery is extra special.
Simon said: “It’s an important part
of Wallingford’s ancient history, it’s survived for nearly 1,000 years and it’s
in remarkable condition.”
John, who started metal detecting
in the early 1980s with a £99.99 detector and inspired his sons to follow in
his footsteps, added: “The field where I found it had recently been ploughed
and planted. Many ancient coins get damaged by farming machinery. We’re very
excited to see what this penny achieves at auction.”
Any proceeds from the sale of the
coin will be split 50/50 with the landowner.
The Henry of Anjou penny – CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LOT – is due to
be sold on October 26 in Hansons’ Historica, Coins, Banknotes and Antiquities
Auction. To find out more, email [email protected].
CLICK HERE to view the Historica, Coins, Banknotes and Antiquities catalogue
