Silver penny from 12th Century sells at auction for £6,000

Markings suggest the coin was minted in Wallingford in the 12th Century

A 900-year-old coin found by a family of metal detectorists has sold for £6,000 at auction.

The silver penny dates from the 12th Century and was discovered by John Denham in a farmer's field in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, in September.

Mr Denham, a 64-year-old landscaper, found the coin while out with his sons Simon and Steven.

Adam Staples, Historica expert at Hansons Auctioneers, called the penny "excessively rare".

He said: "It was an exceptional coin of historical significance and it deserved to do extremely well. I am delighted for the family of keen metal detectorists who found it."

The penny was issued by Henry of Anjou between 1139 and 1148, during a civil war in which Henry and his mother Empress Matilda fought King Stephen.

Metal detecting family Steven, John and Simon Denham (l-r) dug up the coin from beneath four inches of soil

Single coin finds can be sold at auction as they do not have to be reported as treasure, unlike hoard discoveries.

Mr Denham, who has been metal detecting since the early 1980s, said: "We thought this penny might be something special but, once it had been identified and recorded, we were still surprised to learn how valuable it was."

Son Simon, 39, said: "It's an important part of Wallingford's ancient history. It's survived for nearly 1,000 years and it's in remarkable condition.

"As a family, we're passionate about metal detecting. We're a team. We're in it purely for the enjoyment of making the finds. It's a reward seeing them come out of the ground.

"It's not about money. This is the first thing we've ever decided to sell and we're only doing that because the coin is so important."

Mr Staples said the coin was the "only complete example recorded where both the mint town and name of the moneyer can be read".

He added: "The reverse of the penny tells us that it was made by Robertus at the Wallingford mint, a moneyer who was not previously known to have minted coins there."