A gold ring belonging to a soldier killed in one of Britain's bloodiest civil wars has sold for a whopping £6,500 in auction after it was found by metal detectorists in North Yorkshire.
Jeff Warden, 65, and his sons, Michael, 41 and Nick, 42, discovered a hoard of historic coins and rings in a field near Harrogate, in July 2020.
It includes a number of coins and the gold ring, which is thought to have belonged to a soldier who died in the Wars of the Roses, which lasted for 30 years from 1455.
The ring, engraved with images of the Holy Trinity, sold for £6,500 earlier this month.
And the coins are set to be auctioned next Wednesday with a guide price of £260-£340 - despite only having a face value of two shillings and threepence.
Nigel Mills, of Noonans Auctioneers, said: “The hoard dates to the late 1470s and was deposited during the Wars of the Roses, a conflict fought between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists lasting for 30 years from 1455 to 1487.
"The hoard is very unusual comprising 21 coins with a face value of two shillings and threepence together with the gold ring.
"It is likely that the hoard represents a soldier’s valuables who died in the Wars of the Roses.”
The Wardens found the hoard during a lifting of lockdown restrictions in July 2020, when they were able to resume their hobby.
Michael and Nick have been detecting since they were six-years old and their mum Wendy has even joined in the hobby with the dad and lads over the years.
Dad Jeff uncovered a silver hammered penny before Nick found a further five coins including a silver groat or fourpence, of Edward IV minted in Norwich.
Jeff and Michael also recovered several coins and fragments, but it was Nick who then found the medieval ring.
Proceeds from the sale will be split equally between the landowner and Warden family.
The War of the Roses were a series of bloody civil wars for the throne of England between two competing royal families, the House of York and the House of Lancaster.
The wars eventually ended in 1485 and victory was declared by Lancastrian Henry Tudor, who become Henry VII.
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