A County Durham metal detectorist has uncovered a rare medieval silver coin now confirmed as a nationally important.
Davie Thompson, a member of the Dunelme Metal Detecting Club, from Copley, County Durham, discovered the 12th century coin while detecting with the club in North Yorkshire.
Experts have verified it was issued during the rule of Earl Henry of Northumbria between 1139 and 1152.
The coin is exceptionally rare because it is double-stuck - a minting error that left overlapping designs when the die hit the blank twice.
In the medieval period, flawed coins were usually melted down, meaning very few examples survive.
Numismatists (a person who collects or studies coins), say the error offers valuable evidence of early minting practices during a period of political instability.
Earl Henry, the son of King David I of Scotland, ruled Northumbria at a turbulent point in English history and coins from his reign are already scarce.
Following expert assessment, the coin has been added to the Fitzwilliam Museum’s national corpus of early medieval coin finds and will be fully recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme in line with the Treasure Act.
Mr Thompson, speaking after the confirmation, said the discovery was “beyond anything I ever expected to uncover in his first year as a detectorist”.
He added: “It just shows that there is still incredible history waiting to be found beneath our feet.”
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The coin recorded as EMC 2025.0466 was minted in Carlisle by the moneyer Willelm and was found near Catterick on December 5, 2025.
Historians at the museum say the find strengthens understanding of economic life and authority in northern England during the mid 12th century and highlights the role responsible metal detecting continues to play in preserving Britain’s archaeological record.
Finds of this nature are extremely rare and provide insight into trade people and power across the British Isles.
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