Anglo Saxon Coins Some Excellent Specimens

Anglo Saxon coin depicting Coenwulf, King of Mercia 805-810

The Anglo Saxon coin you see to your left is a very famous metal detector find, the lucky chap who found this was reported to have been offered £357,832 from an American collector, which at the time of finding it, sparked a bidding war with the British museum, as the experts had described the Anglo Saxon coin as "the find of the last 100 years". (not bad for an afternoon walk on a river bank with his pet dog and his trusty metal detector in hand).

At the end of the bidding war the American collector didn't get his hands on this wonderful Anglo Saxon coin the British museum managed to keep it in the Country (I'm glad they did, after all its part of our heritage), This particular Anglo Saxon Coin was made from just over 85 % pure gold, weighing an impressive 4.33 grams and showing almost no sign of wear, This coin was apparently never intended for spending, but more of a token trade coin, I suppose because of the enormous gold value, and would probably have been used with foreign trade, but thats just my thoughts, Apparently it is the the most significant find because it is the earliest gold coin with the name of an English ruler intended as part of a circulating trade currency, although there have been 7 other gold Anglo Saxon coins found cast between 670 and 1257 this is the most expensive and significant of all of them.