David Sundman shared this article from The Times about a metal detectorist's find of a gold Half Angle of Richard III. Thanks. -Editor
A gold coin more than 500 years old has been discovered by an amateur treasure hunter close to the battlefield where Henry Tudor triumphed over Richard III in the Wars of the Roses.
Michelle Vall, a teaching assistant from Blackpool, found the coin, a half angel, during a charity metal-detecting event at Monks Kirby in Warwickshire in September. The site is 11 miles south of
Bosworth Field in Leicestershire.
The coin was minted during the two-year reign of Richard III — the last Yorkist king, who was killed during the battle in 1485 — and is one of only a handful in existence. The coin measures about
2cm in diameter and weighs less than 3g and is expected to fetch £15,000 at auction.
The coins were introduced in 1472 during the reign of Richard’s brother Edward IV.
Ms Vall, 51, spent two and a half hours in the field before discovering the coin. “It was deep down, about 16 inches below the surface, and the soil there is thick clay so it took a bit of digging
out,” she said. “I spotted this glint of gold in the hole, although I obviously did not know exactly what it was at first.
Experts have speculated that the coin may have been dropped by one of Richard’s soldiers fleeing the battle after he was killed by men loyal to Sir William Stanley. It is up for auction on
December 13 at a sale of coins, historical medals and paper money at the auctioneer Dix Noonan Webb in London.
Christopher Webb, head of the coins department, said: “This is a very rare discovery that has miraculously survived in a Warwickshire field for more than five centuries.
“Its importance as a coin is enhanced by the tantalising possibility that it may have belonged to one of Richard’s army whose defeat at Bosworth ended the Wars of the Roses and ushered in the
Tudor dynasty.”
To read the complete article, see:
Fleeing army may have dropped Richard III gold coin
(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fleeing-army-may-have-dropped-richard-iii-gold-coin-h8fwxqbsc)
David Pickup shared this Daily Mail article, where I found the obverse image. Thank you. -Editor
To read the complete article, see:
500-year-old coin that may have been dropped by one of Richard III's soldiers fleeing the Battle of Bosworth
Field is found by an amateur treasure hunter (/sciencetech/article-5092541/500-year-old-coin-amateur-treasure-hunter.html)
Wayne Homren, Editor
The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization
promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.
To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor
at this address: whomren@gmail.com
To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 The Numismatic Bibliomania Society (NBS)
All Rights Reserved.
NBS Home Page
Contact the NBS webmaster
|