An ‘excessively rare’ silver penny found on a family metal detecting trip in Oxfordshire has sold for thousands of pounds 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, discovered by 64-year-old landscaper John Denham in a farmer’s field in Wallingford while out metal detecting with his sons, Simon, 39, and Steven Denham, 31, sold for £6,000 at Hansons Auctioneers on October 26.
Hansons’ Historica expert Adam Staples said: “It was an exceptional coin of great historical significance and it deserved to do extremely well. I am delighted for the family of keen metal detectorists who found it.”
The family watched the bidding drama unfold online. Simon Denham, a landscaper, said: “We are very happy with the result. It was a bit worrying at first but it soon started bidding very well.”
John Denham, who along with his sons lives near Wallingford, 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.”
Mr Staples 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.”
Simon 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, so finding a coin as old as this in such good condition was pretty remarkable.”
Proceeds from the sale of the coin will be split 50/50 with the landowner.
The Henry of Anjou penny was sold on October 26 in Hansons’ Historica, Coins, Banknotes and Antiquities Auction. To find out more or arrange a free valuation, email [email protected].
