Yorkshire baron’s rare coin sells for £14,000

AN EXTREMELY rare silver penny minted by a powerful Yorkshire baron has sold for £14,000, nearly two-and-a-half times its estimated value.

The coin, from a forgotten period in British history known as ‘‘The Anarchy’’, was discovered by a metal detectorist in a Yorkshire field in March, and dates from around AD 1148 to 1152. It was estimated to be worth £6,000.

The Anarchy was a civil war that began following a succession crisis when King Henry I’s only male heir died.

He wanted his daughter, Matilda, to become queen, but her claim was challenged by his nephews, Stephen and Henry du Blois, on Stephen’s behalf.

The conflict was intermittent and dragged on for almost 20 years before a peace treaty was agreed and Matilda’s son took the throne as King Henry II.

During this time, law and order broke down, and rebel barons took advantage to seize power in the north.

The coin was struck in the name of Robert de Stuteville, one of the northern lords.

He was a supporter of Henry II and later became High Sheriff of Yorkshire and custodian of Knaresborough Castle. He was able to mint his own coins in the absence of Crown authority. Experts have said it is the first coin of its era to be found in more than 100 years and is in better condition than a similar example on display in the British Museum. Auctioneer Gregory Edmund said: “It is an understatement to describe this coin as simply ‘rare’, for it is the first new find of its type to be documented in over a century, despite this type of coin being known about since 1684.”

Including costs, the buyer paid £17,000 for the coin in the first public auction of its type since the 1950s.