Dix Noonan Webb are offering a very rare silver penny in their September sale. Here's the press release.
-Editor
An extremely rare silver penny of Stephen and his wife Matilda – who fought with his cousin
the Empress Matilda for the throne in the 12th Century - is to be offered by International
coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists Dix Noonan Webb in a live/online
auction of British and World Coins on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 11am on
www.DNW.co.uk
.
Discovered by metal detectorist Graeme Rushton on October 20, 2018 on the border of South
Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, using a Teknetics G2+ metal detector, the coin is one of only 25
known specimens and is estimated to fetch upto £10,000.
Graeme who is 50-years-old and lives in South Cumbria, has been detecting since he was 8-
years-old, and ten years ago, he decided to start his own shop called Unearthed, which sells
metal detectors.
As Graeme explains: “It was only my second visit to the site which had just been ploughed
and flattened. After about 45 minutes walking up a slight rise in the field, I got a signal, and
after digging down 5-6 inches, I uncovered the coin which at first I didn't recognise. It was
only after showing pictures of it to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge that I realised how
significant the discovery was.”
The coin has on the obverse the legend “STIENS” with standing figures of Stephen and
Matilda facing each other supporting a tall sceptre between them, while on the reverse is a
cross fleury over cross pommee with various ornaments around. The coin was minted in York
in the early 1140s and is in very fine condition.
Stephen of Blois was the grandson of William I, and became King of England on December
22, 1135 to his death in 1154. For almost all of the 19 years of his reign a civil war raged
with his cousin Matilda, with the English Royalist Barons supporting him while the Angevin
French supporters backed Matilda, who was the daughter of Henry I of England who had
nominated her as heir to the throne. Stephen however claimed that his uncle had changed his
mind on his deathbed recognising Stephen as his successor.
The find-spot was not far from where the Battle of Lincoln took place in February 1141
between Stephen and Matilda's half brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester, Stephen was
defeated, captured and imprisoned for six months in Bristol Castle before an exchange
enabled him to be released. In 1153, Stephen agreed to accept Matilda's son Henry as his
heir, thus ending the conflict which has become known as the Anarchy.
For more information, see:
https://www.dnw.co.uk/auctions/
Wayne Homren, Editor
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