AN extremely rare 12th century “Anarchy” coin found by a metal detectorist in Ryedale has smashed auction expectations in London.

The silver penny, unusually struck in the name of local Yorkshire Baron “Robert de Stuteville”, rather than the disputed King Stephen, was unearthed on March and forwarded on to experts at numismatic specialists Spink and Son.

Last Wednesday the coin sold to a private buyer for more than £17,000, including auction costs, triple its initial estimate, in a dedicated virtual auction.

Auctioneer Gregory Edmund said experts had confirmed that the coin is also the first addition to the shortlist of known coins since at least 1889, and also the first example to appear at public auction since the 1950s.

He added: “It is no surprise, given all the uncertainty around at present, that demand for portable assets and the spectacular rarities within them, continue to hit new heights in the open market. It is fantastic that the limelight can now return to such an obscure historical figure who played so pivotal a role in our country’s rich history. A penny dreadful this most certainly is not.”