A RARE ancient Roman coin believed to be the first of its kind ever found in Britain that was found in a farmer's field near Dudley has been sold for over £4,000 at auction.

The coin, believed to be the first gold aureus of Emperor Aulus Vitellius to be recorded as a find in the British Isles, was unearthed by Kingswinford

A RARE ancient Roman coin believed to be the first of its kind ever found in Britain that was found in a farmer’s field near Dudley has been sold for over £4,000 at auction.

The coin, believed to be the first gold aureus of Emperor Aulus Vitellius to be recorded as a find in the British Isles, was unearthed by Kingswinford great grandad, Ron Walters, when he set about a farmer’s field in Wall Heath with a metal detector.

The 76-year-old from Kingswinford said he stumbled across the rare Roman coin, which dates back to 69 AD, after being told by his wife to get out of the house "for a bit".

The coin was found by Kingswinford great grandad, Ron Walters (Image: Black Country History Hunters / SWNS) After being returned to Mr Walters from the British Museum, the coin went to auction at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge today (March 27), being sold for a respectable £4,700.

A similar coin fetched around £50,000 when it was auctioned in Switzerland last year, however, Mark Hannam, Senior Coin Specialist and Auctioneer at Fieldings, said he was pleased with the outcome of the sale nonetheless.

Mr Hannam said: “I am very pleased with the result, as the condition of soil and stone action had taken its toll a little, with the coin being in the ground for over 1,900 years.

“There was lots of pre-sale interest and bidding was brisk, quickly reaching level.

The gold Roman coin is believed to be the first of its kind ever found in Britain (Image: Black Country History Hunters / SWNS) “The coin has gone to its new home with a collector in Scotland and I am pleased that it has remained in the UK.”

Upon finding the coin, Mr Walters said: "It was really interesting to find something of such historical importance.

“I'm looking forward to seeing how it does at auction."

Mr Walters said he will split the proceeds from the sale with the field’s landowner.