Grandad finds Roman gold coin 'worth £50k' after searching same field for six years

The coin is believed to be the first gold aureus of emperor Aulus Vitellius to be recorded as a find in the British Isles

A metal detectorist has shared how he found a coin dating back to 69 AD buried in a field near Dudley.

The gold Roman coin is believed to be first of its kind ever found in Britain and is set to fetch thousands at auction after being unearthed by Ron Walters, 76.

Ron, a retired welder, finally struck gold after six years of searching the same farmer's field last May.

It is believed to be the first gold aureus of emperor Aulus Vitellius to be recorded as a find in the British Isles and they can be worth as much as £50,000.

The 1,955-year-old coin was then sent to the British Museum, disclaimed and returned to Ron who contacted auctioneers to organise its sale.

Ron, who is from Kingswinford, will split the proceeds from the sale with the field's landowner.

Ron said: "I'd been searching this field on and off for six years near Wall Heath, only in spring and autumn when the crops weren't sown.

"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, that or Ancient English gold.

"And there's nothing like this been found in England before by all accounts. I can only imagine a soldier travelled with it, possibly via France.

"It was really interesting to find something of such historical importance. I'm looking forward to seeing how it does at auction."

The coin has been given an estimate of between £5,000-£6,000 and will be sold by Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge, West Mids., tomorrow (27/3).

However, it could fetch much more as only one similar coin has ever gone through auction and was sold last year in Switzerland for around £50,000.

Mark Hannam, senior coin specialist and auctioneer at Fieldings said the coin was "a genuinely amazing find" and "a unique piece of history."

He added: "To find a coin from AD69 is incredibly rare, as most coins we find in this country are from the third and fourth centuries, and we are talking about a time when the gold was at its purest level.

"The fact that this one has escaped ploughing in the ground for over 1,900 years the coin, although still in excellent condition, is quite remarkable given its condition."

Vitellius was a Roman emperor who ruled for a brief eight month turbulent period in 69 AD, a year famously known as the "Year of the Four Emperors."

He came to power after the defeat of Emperor Otho in a civil war between rival claimants to the imperial throne.

Vitellius' reign was short and marked by extravagance and poor decision-making.

His government was characterized by indulgence in luxury, feasting, and an excessive lifestyle, which contrasted with the growing instability within the empire.

Vitellius made few efforts to restore the moral and administrative order of the state, and his rule was poorly received by many Romans.