EXTREMELY RARE SILVER PENNY OF THE BOY KING EDWARD THE MARTYR FOUND ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT SELLS FOR £11,160 AT DIX NOONAN WEBB

An extremely rare Silver penny of the boy king Edward the Martyr - the teenager who ruled Saxon Britain in the 10th century – that was found on the Isle of Wight sold today (Wednesday, April 22, 2020) for £11,160 in an online/ live auction at Dix Noonan Webb, the international coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists in their sale of Coins. It was estimated to fetch £5,000-7,000 and it was bought by an UK Collector via a commission bid after competitive bidding from the internet.

Following the sale, Nigel Mills, Antiquities Expert, Dix Noonan Webb said: “The price realised for the Edward the Martyr penny exceeded our expectations and reflects the quality and rarity of the coin combined with the fact that it is a new discovery and it is first time that it has been offered for sale.”

It was discovered in March 2018 by a 68-year-old retired council worker using a Minelab E-Trac metal detector. After metal detecting for 28 years, the detectorist, who wished to remain anonymous, was on a ploughed field with his local detecting club. Frustrated at only finding three .22 lead bullets in one spot, and ready to give up for the day he then got another signal in the same area and dug down 4-5 inches to uncover the Saxon penny.

The coin was in remarkable condition, and has a fine portrait of the boy king wearing a diadem and facing left. Edward only ruled briefly, between the years 975-978 A.D. and was only 13 years old when he was crowned king after the death of his father Eadgar. Edward was
assassinated on March 18 at the Saxon hall where Corfe Castle in Dorset, now stands, by supporters of his half brother Aethelred [lot 128].

The auction comprised 692 lots and saw only four unsold. Another notable highlight was an Australian coin - one of the first coins to have been made for circulation in the new colony of New South Wales in 1813. Otherwise known as a Dump, the coin was from the Collection of British Colonial Coins formed by the late John Roberts-Lewis. Valued at Fifteen Pence, and comprised a circular centre segment from the Five Shilling Holey Dollar, it had been estimated to fetch £2,000-£3,000 but after significant interest, it fetched £6,820 and was bought by an Australian Collector [lot 363].

As Peter Preston-Morley, Specialist and Associate Director, Dix Noonan Webb, explained: “The phrase dump is an Australian colloquialism invented in the late 19th century and the piece is from an old collection of British Colonial coins that DNW are offering, the previous owner bought it 58 years ago for £4. There are about 800 pieces known, so it isn’t that rare as such, but of the 800 only about 120 or so are in the sort of condition that this one is. Most were used until they wore out and were melted down for silver in late Victorian times.”

Dix Noonan Webb confirmed that they will be donating 5% of their Buyer’s Premium to NHS Charities Together, and a total of £12,203 is being donated to the charity from the first three auctions since the lockdown due to COVID-19. The ongoing total can be seen on the homepage of DNW’s website. NHS Charities Together works with over 250 charities across the UK helping the NHS do more to look after people. For more information about NHS Charities Together and the outstanding work they do, click here to visit their website.

***Please note that these prices include Buyers Premium (24%)***

FORTHCOMING SALES AT DNW
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6 - COINS
WEDNESdAY, MAY 20 - TOKENS & HISTORICAL MEDALS
thursday, may 21 - ORDERS, DECORATIONS, MEDALS AND MILITARIA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3 - ANCIENT & ISLAMIC COINS
TUESDAY, JUNE 9 - JEWELLERY, WATCHES AND OBJECTS OF VERTU
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 - BRITISH, IRISH AND WORLD BANKNOTES

Free online bidding is available is www.dnw.co.uk
For more information, please call 020 7016 1700

DNW are on Social Media
Instagram @dixnoonanwebb
Facebook: dixnoonanwebb
Twitter @dixnoonanwebb

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Dix Noonan Webb – a brief history
In 1991, its first year of trading, the company held three medal auctions and sold 1,200 lots for a total hammer price of £553,000. Two years later it opened a coin department which also auctions commemorative medals and tokens and in 2015 DNW added jewellery to its sales calendar. In 2018, it set up a standalone banknotes department and expanded into premises next door. In the same year, DNW achieved a total hammer price of £11,676,580 and the total number of lots across all departments was 20,273. To date the company has sold in excess of 300,000 lots totalling £155 million.

For further press information and images please contact:
Rachel Aked
Tel: 07790732448
Email: Rachel@rachelaked.co.uk
April 2020