AN IMPORTANT AngloSaxon gold coin, found by an amateur treasure hunter five years ago, has been acquired by the British Museum for £357,832, a record figure for a British coin.
The coin — which, as astute readers may realise, is pictured larger than life in a video demonstration — was minted in the reign of Coenwulf, who ruled Mercia from 796 to 821. It offers new information on Anglo-Saxon kingship during a little documented period.
The unique example, one of only eight known gold coins of the mid to late-Saxon period, of which the museum now owns seven, is believed to be the earliest gold coin in the name of an English ruler intended as part of a circulating currency.
Coenwulf’s kingdom of Mercia extended from the Thames in the South to the Humber in the North and the Welsh border. Through conquest, he also ruled the kingdoms of East Anglia and Kent, making him the most powerful single ruler in Britain at that time.
The coin was found by a metal detectorist next to a public footpath beside the River Ivel, in Bedfordshire, in 2001. It was bought by an American collector, Allan Davisson, at auction in 2004 for what was then a record £230,000.
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Gareth Williams, AngloSaxon coin curator of the British Museum, said that it is in far better condition than the other known examples — “beautifully struck and exceptionally well-preserved.”
He added that the coin provided new details about the status of London during Coenwulf’s reign, and about his political and economic relationship with continental Europe and his famous contemporary, Charlemagne.
The coin will go on display in the museum’s HSBC Money gallery from tomorrow, alongside other Anglo-Saxon gold coins and related material.
The acquisition was made possible by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and National Art Collections Fund (the Art Fund), among others.
David Barrie, director of the Art Fund, said: “We were really impressed by this exceptionally rare and beautiful coin. The Anglo-Saxon world can seem very remote but an object like this helps bring it to life.”