Auction News

Metal detectorist’s Celtic coin find set for £70,000 auction

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2025-02-19
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Caractacus Iron Age British gold coin
Image courtesy of Stanley Gibbons Baldwins.

A coin that was thought not to exist will be sold next month, its second sale since it was discovered in a Berkshire, UK field by a metal detectorist. 

The coin was made at the behest of Caractacus (1st Century AD), an important British leader who battled the invading Romans. 

It is said by experts to be among the most significant Iron Age British coins. 

It was thought that no Caractacus coins survived. However, in 2019 this coin was discovered near Newbury by a metal detectorist. 

It shows a horseman and the name Carat on the reverse, now thought to refer to Caractacus. 

The obverse shows a cereal head with the name Cunobelinus, Caratacus’s father.

It was sold in 2020 for £88,000. 

On March 12 it will be sold again by Stanley Gibbons Baldwin’s with an opening price of £70,000. 

Caer Caradoc hill in Shropshire

Caer Caradoc in Shropshire, the site of Caractacus’s last stand according to local legend, though the evidence is not very strong.

Caractacus was one of the chief figures in anti-Roman resistance. He was finally defeated at the Battle of Caer Caradoc in around 50 AD. 

After his capture, Caractacus reportedly so impressed his foes that he was allowed to live out his life in relative luxury in Rome. 

Dominic Chorney, an ancient coin specialist at Stanley Gibbons Baldwin’s, told the Daily Mail: “While we often sell extremely rare coins at Baldwin’s, it’s unusual to offer something completely unique and of national importance.

“We’re all excited to be auctioning this beautiful piece of British history.”

Metal detectorists dream of making finds like this. 

This month, a Henry III gold penny discovered with a detector was auctioned for £648,000. In October 2024 a hoard of Norman silver pennies sold for £4.3 million. 

Such finds are usually regulated by the Treasure Act. Coroners can rule that some finds are of such national importance that they must be offered to a museum for a fee set by a panel of experts. 

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