Roman coins discovered in a Norfolk field have sold for more than £15,000 at auction.
A collection of 73 silver coins unearthed by a metal detectorist searching a field in Colkirk, near Fakenham, went under the hammer on December 4 in Mayfair, selling for a total of £15,285.
The coins were just the first tranch of 432 unearthed at the site over two years starting in January 2020.
Among the tranche was an incredibly rare 'Miliarensis' featuring a phoenix standing on a globe on one side. It was just the fifth specimen of its kind known to exist, with the other four in museums.
This coin had a pre-sale estimate of £2,000-2,600, but sold for £3,400.
Nigel Mills, coin and artefact specialist at auctioneers Noonans, said of the coin: “At this time the empire was ruled jointly by Gratian, his half-brother Valentinian II, and Theodosius so this coin together with an example of each of the other two co-emperors could have provided a donative payment of a Miliarensis celebrating a military victory.”
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