Coin found in field near Newark could fetch £15,000

A rare Viking coin has been discovered by a metal detectorist in a field near Newark.

It was issued in the reign of King Sitric Cáech, almost 1,100 years ago.

The coin was discovered by 45-year-old welder Richard Scothern.

Dix Noonan Webb, auctioneers in London, who now have the coin, said it could fetch up to £15,000 at their auction next Wednesday (March 15).

Mr Scothern and a group of friends were detecting in the field with the permission of the farmer.

Dix Noonan Webb has not revealed the exact location of where the coin was found.

Mr Scothern said: “I can’t believe it. We thought we would give it another go and this time I decided to look in a slightly different area, about 20 yards from where we had come into the field.

“I must have walked over the coin so many times on previous visits.

“My detector gave a signal that was as clean as a whistle and the coin was only a couple of inches below the surface.

“It was incredible when the coin came out.

“I immediately knew it was a Viking coin because I had seen reproductions of them in the Jorvik Museum in York.

“I knew it was a nice coin, but I didn’t know about its rarity.”

Dix Noonan Webb said research showed the coin was most likely to have been minted in Lincoln.

Will Bennett, from Dix Noonan Webb, said: “This penny is extremely rare and, despite having spent more than 1,000 years in the soil, it is in extremely fine condition.

“In addition to being an extraordinary survivor, it is also the coin of a conqueror — Sitric would have wanted his own coins minted to reinforce his authority.”