Link to newsround

Rare Roman coin found by grandad sells for nearly £5,000

The gold coin, showing the side profile of the Roman emperor Aulus Vitellius, is held up to the camera by hand wearing white gloves. Fieldings Auctioneers

The rare coin was found by 76-year-old Ron

An 1,955-year-old gold Roman coin has been sold for thousands of pounds at auction.

It was unearthed by 76-year-old grandfather Ron Walters, in Dudley in the West Midlands.

He finally struck gold after six years of searching the same fields with his metal detector.

In the end the coin was sold for £4,700 and is believed to be the first of its kind to be found in the UK.

The farmer who owns the land where the coin was found, will get to keep half of the money from the sale and Mr Walters will take home the rest.

The coin, which dates to AD69, shows the the emperor Aulus Vitellius, who ruled for just eight months.

It's thought this is the first gold coin with his face on it ever to be recorded as a find in the British Isles.

Ron said: "My heart was racing, I just popped it in my pocket and went straight back home."

"In metal detecting circles a Roman coin is probably among the best things you can find—that or Ancient English gold."

Ron Walters is shown holding the gold coin up to the camera, while standing in a field. He is wearing glasses and the headphones from his metal detector still around his neck.Black Country History Hunter

Ron found the coin using his metal detector

So who is it's new owner? The coin was bought at auction by Mark Hannam, a collector from Scotland.

He said it was an amazing find and "a unique piece of history".

Coin finder Ron says he is planning to put his money towards repairs to his motorhome and to continue his hobby of metal-detecting!

What do you think he will he find next?

More on this story