Rare 2,000-Year-Old Roman Coin Discovered by a Farmer Sells at Auction for £4,700

A rare 2,000-year-old Roman coin discovered by a 76-year-old farmer has been sold at auction for £4700.

A rare 2,000-year-old Roman coin discovered by a 76-year-old farmer has been sold at auction for £4,700.

Ron Walters, from Kingswinford, unearthed the gold coin depicting Emperor Aulus Vitellius while metal detecting near Wall Heath, Dudley, last year. The coin was purchased by a collector from Scotland at Fieldings Auctioneers in Stourbridge.

The coin, dated to 69 CE, is considered by historians to be the first aureus of Vitellius found in England and is the only one of its kind in the British Isles. Experts have described the find as “a discovery one might encounter once in a lifetime.”

Emperor Aulus Vitellius, known for his luxurious and extravagant lifestyle, ruled for just eight months during a turbulent period of civil war known as the “Year of the Four Emperors.”

During his brief reign, which saw instability and unrest, Aulus Vitellius's administration was marked by extravagance and lavish spending.

However, his rule was short-lived as he was brutally murdered by soldiers loyal to the new emperor, Aulus Plaudius, in December of 69.

Sharing details of the discovery, Walters said: "My detector gave a signal; I started digging but lost the signal. Then I got a signal again on a piece of soil about 60 cm away. When I broke the ground, the coin fell into my palm.

"My heart was about to jump out; I immediately put it in my pocket and went home."

Further adding that he hadn't initially planned to go out that day, the 76-year-old said: "Actually, I was thinking of not going out that day, but my wife said, 'Come on, just go a little bit,' and kicked me out of the house. I'm glad I went."

Before the coin was put up for auction, the British Museum examined its authenticity and eventually allowed it to be sold. The proceeds from the sale will be shared with the landowner.

The coin has attracted interest from historians and collectors, who described the find as "a historical discovery."

Discussing the significance of the find, a coin expert said: "Finding a coin from this era is incredibly rare. Most coins we find in this country date to the third and fourth centuries, and we are talking about a time when gold was of the purest quality."

"It was a wonderful thing to be part of a historical discovery," said Walters.

"I'll keep searching for treasures with my metal detector and plan to use the proceeds from my recent find to repair my motorhome and continue my hobby."

Despite the coin selling for less than a similar artifact which was auctioned in Switzerland last year for about £50,000, Walters said he is satisfied with the price it fetched at the auction.