Treasure hunter strikes gold with discovery of 700-year-old Henry III coin A detectorist has uncovered just the eighth known example of England’s “first gold coinage”, with the piece expected to sell at auction for nearly half a million pounds. The Henry III coin, minted in 1257, owes its value both to its rarity and the unique portrait of the monarch on its obverse side. The coin carries a pre-sale estimate of £400,000 but past examples have sold for more than £500,000. It is the first of its kind found in more than 260 years. It was found by an anonymous treasure hunter on his first detecting trip in a decade, near Hemyock, Devon. The finder put it on Facebook, not knowing its true value before it was spotted by an expert. Gregory Edmund, of the auctioneer Spink, told The Telegraph he spotted the post and “immediately told the finder to take it down because I said you're going to be inundated with every man and his dog to try trying to buy this off you for a fraction of what it's worth”. Mr Edmund and the detectorist took the coin to be assessed by the British Museum, which confirmed its significance. As it is only a single coin and not part of a larger find, it was not covered by the Treasurers Act, meaning the finder was entitled to keep it. The coin has since been offered up to academics for study, including a non-invasive X-ray fluorescence test that confirmed its gold content. It will now go up for auction on January 23. ...story continues in the link below... https://news.yahoo.com/treasure-hunter-strikes-gold-discovery-181923640.html https://campaigns.spink.com/t/i-D8A4C2A28F4F80F62540EF23F30FEDED
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ding-one-Englands-gold-coins-Devon-field.html A metal detectorist who found England's 'first ever gold coin' is celebrating after it sold for a world record £648,000. Michael Leigh-Mallory unearthed the coin on his first metal detecting outing in 10 years on farmland in Hemyock, Devon, last September. -- It achieved a hammer price of £540,000, with extra fees taking the final figure paid by a private British buyer in the room to £648,000. -- The finder will split the proceeds 50/50 with the landowner. It is believed that he will spend his fortune towards his children's future. The winning bidder intends to loan the coin to a museum or institution. It is a world record for a Henry III coin, and also the most valuable Medieval English coin ever sold at auction. -- Gregory Edmund, specialist at Spink & Son, said: 'Not only does this now stand as the most valuable single coin find in British history, but also the most valuable Medieval English coin ever sold at auction. 'Unsurprisingly therefore it eclipsed our old house record to fall for an incredible £540,000 (£648,000 including costs) to a private room buyer. 'It was bought by an anonymous private buyer resident in the United Kingdom who intends to place the coin on loan to a public institution or museum. 'The vendor and landowner were both in awe of the result.'
