Rare coin found by Sussex man fetches £78,000 at auction

An unique Anglo Saxon coin that was found by a Sussex man has sold for £78,000 in auction.

The silver penny was estimated to sell for around £15,000 to £20,000.

A spokesperson for Dix Noonan Webb, the international coins and medals specialists, said, "There was fierce bidding for this unique coin. The price paid shows that the worldwide market for important pieces like this coin is extremely strong."

Darrin Simpson, the 48-year-old metal detectorist from Eastbourne in Sussex said, "It's fantastic, an amazing result. I am really quite shocked."

He will give half the money to the Sussex farmer who owns the field where the coin was found and another quarter to the three friends who were detecting with him when he made the discovery in March earlier this year.