Black Death - Rare Gold Coin From The 1348 Plague

[Steve Herschbach]

A "very rare" Edward III gold coin lost in the wake of the Black Death has been found by a metal detectorist. The 23-carat leopard was discovered with another gold coin, called a noble, near Reepham, Norfolk. Finds liaison officer Helen Geake said the leopard was withdrawn within months of being minted in 1344 and "hardly any have survived". She said the coins were equivalent to £12,000 today and would have been owned by someone "at the top of society". The leopard - which has never been found with another coin - was discovered with a "rare" 1351-52 Edward III noble.

The rest of the story with photos here

 

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[kac]

Only 3 in public collections and looks like it got hit with a lawnmower :(

[RickUK]

Great read Steve,and yes a extremely rare find,often seen as the Holy Grail of gold coinage here in the UK,it may be seen as really bet up,but the main coin itself is untouched and will handed over to a skilled goldsmith to be heated to the correct temperature and will be made totally flat again back into near perfect condition,that also will then be a stunning coin again and wont detract anything from the value of this rare find.

Steve,great story on a great find,a extremely valuable coin as well,very well found.

[cudamark]

It's pretty common to find coins over there in the fields to have been taco'd by a plow.

[PimentoUK]

The two coins were 150 metres apart, yet someone decided they belong 'together'. Sure, they could have been dropped together, and one got stuck to the mud of a tractor tyre and taken for a ride up the field. But these details can have implications, affecting whether a find gets officially declared 'Treasure' or not ... with financial / legal procedures / paperwork to deal with.

[Valens Legacy]

Great read Steve and thank you for posting it.

[rvpopeye]

I'm gonna find one of those !

OK TRY to find......hope to find ???

If the finder gets to keep it , the best lucky coin EVER !