A gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in a farmer's field has fetched £4700 at auction

Ron Walters, 76, unearthed the nearly 2000 year old coin on land he had been scouring for six years in Wall Heath

A gold coin discovered by a metal detectorist in a farmer's field has fetched £4,700 at auction after it was revealed to be a rare Roman treasure.

The artefact, which dates back to 69AD, is thought to be the first aureus of emperor Aulus Vitellius ever recorded as a find in England.

It was sold this week at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge. The coin, which was disclaimed by the British Museum and returned to Ron, will now be split with the landowner.

Ron, 76, from Kingswinford, discovered the coin last May on land he had been scouring for six years in Wall Heath, near Dudley.

He explained how he found the coin after his wife told him to "get out the house for a bit."

Ron said: "I was going to go one Thursday and decided against it and it was my wife who basically told me bugger off and get out the house for a bit.

"And I was glad I did. I was out for a couple of hours and I picked a signal up. I started digging a bit but then I lost the signal.

"I managed to get this reading again from a clod of earth about 2ft away from me, I broke it open and then this coin dropped into my hand.

"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."

The coin was scanned by the British Museum, which disclaimed it and returned it to Ron before it went under the hammer this week. It sold for £4,700.

Ron added: "I thought it might go for a bit more but it's been amazing to be part of a historic discovery and it's certainly something to tell the grandkids.

"I'll keep on searching for more treasures with my metal detector but they did tell me this was a once in a lifetime find, so I doubt I'll find anything like this ever again."

Vitellius was a brief emperor during the tumultuous "Year of the Four Emperors" in 69 AD, ascending to power following the defeat of Emperor Otho in a civil war that battled over the imperial succession.

His reign was marked by a penchant for luxury, contrasting sharply with the escalating instability within the empire.

Vitellius made little attempt to restore the moral and administrative order of the state, leading to widespread disapproval among many Romans.