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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;derkerlegand, post: 7798635, member: 73606&quot;]see: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-58028670" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-58028670" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-58028670</a></p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]1339027[/ATTACH] </p><p><b>A &quot;unique&quot; Anglo-Saxon coin found in a field in south Wiltshire is expected to fetch up to £200,000 at auction.</b></p><p><br /></p><p>The Gold Penny, or Mancus of 30 Pence, was unearthed by a metal detectorist in a field near West Dean in March 2020.</p><p><br /></p><p>Weighing 4.82g, it was struck between 802 and 839 during the reign of Ecgberht, King of the West Saxons.</p><p><br /></p><p>Thought to be the only late Anglo-Saxon gold coin in private hands, it is expected to fetch between £150,000 and £200,000 at auction on 8 September.</p><p><br /></p><p>Auctioneer Peter Preston-Morley, from London-based Dix Noonan Webb, said it was &quot;very exciting&quot; to see the coin.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Gold coins of this monarch were completely unknown until this one was found,&quot; he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>He said the coin was analysed in June 2021 and found to be made of &quot;high-purity gold&quot;.</p><p><br /></p><p>Struck at a West Saxon mint, possibly in Southampton or Winchester, the coin bears the King&#039;s title &#039;Ecgbeorht Rex&#039; around a monogram of the word Saxon.</p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Preston-Morley said only eight other known gold coins were struck in England between 630 and 1257, seven of which are now held at the British museum.</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="5"><b>&#039;Extremely valuable coins&#039;</b></font></p><p>It is believed orders for mancuses to be struck were only given on special occasions or religious events, and the coins were produced for ceremonial or high-status payments.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;Mancuses would have been extremely valuable coins,&quot; he said.</p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;A single gold mancus would have bought the equivalent of 360 loaves of wheat bread.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Mr Preston-Morley added it had not been possible to date the coin to a more specific period due to limited records from Ecgberht&#039;s reign .[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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