Haul of Anglo Saxon coins found in Suffolk to go under the hammer
Don Crawley unearthed the coins in Suffolk in 2017 Picture: PA/DNW - Credit: Archant
A hoard of Anglo Saxon coins unearthed in Suffolk two years ago are set to go under the hammer next month – and could fetch £50,000.
The coins will go under the hammer in December Picture: PA/DNW - Credit: Archant
The haul of 99 silver pennies - believed to be more than 1,000 years old - were found by 50-year-old builder Don Crawley at the site of a forgotten Saxon church in 2017.
Mr Crawley, from Bucklesham, discovered the coins on his first visit to the site, and the Suffolk farmer who owns the land did not wish to reveal further details of its location.
The hoard was taken to the British Museum who, following examination, stated the coins were from the reign of Aethelred II - who reigned in England from AD 978-1016.
The haul remained at the British Museum until they decided to disclaim them in August.
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The hoard will be sold by Dix Noonan Webb (DNW) in Mayfair between December 4 and 5, with the proceeds split between finder Mr Crawley and the farmer on a 50/50 basis.
The haul has a pre-auction estimate of £30,000 to £50,000.
MORE: Sutton Hoo at 80: 'Gentleman's daughter' who unlocked the treasuresMr Crawley said: "It was my first visit to this farmer's land in Suffolk. After walking up an incline in the field, my Deus detector gave off a strong signal and within a short space of time I had recovered 93 coins.
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"The finds liaison officer was called in and they investigated the site which turned out to be a long forgotten Saxon church which had been dismantled by the Normans in the 11th century.
"Excavating around they uncovered the remains of human bones and I found another 6 coins."
The hoard includes two rare mints - Melton Mowbray and a previously unrecorded mint in Louth, Lincolnshire.
Louth had been a "Burh" or fortified settlement in the 10th century with a church containing the remains of St Herefrith.
The auctioneers said the hoard appears to have been buried by a pilgrim who was making penitence worried about the impending apocalypse of the Millennium.
