2020-05-30 Sat

In 2018, a retired council worker was roaming on a plowed field with a metal detector. Frustrated at his day’s finds — three .22 lead bullets, all in one spot — and ready to give up for the day, he then got another signal in the same area and dug down 4 to 5 inches to uncover the Saxon penny.

Not just any Saxon Penny, the coin belonged to Edward the Martyr - the teenager who ruled Saxon Britain in the 10th century. Edward ruled only briefly, between the years 975 to 978 A.D., and was only 13 years old when he was crowned king after the death of his father, Edgar. Edward was assassinated March 18, 978, at the Saxon Hall, where Corfe Castle in Dorset now stands, by supporters of his half-brother Aethelred.

The coin depicts the boy king wearing a diadem and facing left and was sold on April 22 at auction for Euro 11,160 (USD 13,772).

Image Courtesy: coinworld.com