A 13th century seal found by a 10-year-old in Suffolk has sold at auction for £4,000.
George Henderson was metal detecting at a charity dig with his dad Paul in Woodbridge when he came across a medieval priory seal matrix dating back 800 years.
Within 10 minutes of the event, buried around five inches in the ground, George found an important oval-shaped seal dating back to the early 13th century.
The seal dates back to somewhere between 1219 and 1235 and relates to Butley Priory, a religious house for canons founded near Woodbridge in 1171.
Due to its rarity and historical significance, the copper-alloy object was included Hansons Auctioneers’ Historica sale with a guide price of between £4,000 and £6,000.
After going under the hammer on Thursday, the copper artefact sold for £4,000.
The profits from the auction will be split between George and the farmer whose land it was discovered on.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here