'Unique' 12th Century coin found by metal detectorist set to fetch up to £20,000 at auction

A unique and unpublished coin from the reign of David I of Scotland is expected to reach up to £20,0000 at auction.

The coin, which is being sold by the metal detectorist who found it, was minted in Carlisle when David I (1124-1153) held parts of northern England.

Jim Brown, Coin Specialist at Noonans auctioneers in Mayfair which is handling the sale, said the coin possiblly commemorates the fortification of David I’s new powerbase in Cumbria.

David I seized Carlisle in support of his niece Empress Matilda, who succeeded the throne following the death of her father, Henry I of England, in 1135.

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Jim Brown, Coin Specialist at Noonans auctioneers in Mayfair, said the coin was of a unique design.

Mr Brown said: “This is a find of considerable historical and numismatic importance.

“It is not really surprising that new varieties of medieval coins turn up from time to time - this is to be expected. What makes this find so different is the unique nature of the design - a complete and totally unexpected departure from the norm.”

He said the coin was minted during “a tumultuous period of alliances, battles and treaties changing with the ebb and flow of the political and military struggle”.

He added: “In view of the obverse type, it may be to commemorate David’s fortification of his new power base in Cumbria - an issue unparalleled in British medieval numismatics.” 

The death of Henry I in France initiated the Anarchy, a period of unrest played out around the disputed succession to the throne between Empress Matilda and her cousin, Stephen of Blois.

Although the barons of the land had agreed to recognise Matilda, Stephen, on hearing of Henry’s death, was quicker to stake his claim and was crowned in Westminster Abbey on December 22, 1135.

Within a matter of days, David I of Scotland began an invasion of the north of England, ostensibly in support of Matilda but also to regain territory in the disputed borderlands.

Carlisle fell to the Scots before the end of January 1136 and possession was ratified by the first Treaty of Durham a few months later.

David I, the son of Malcolm III and his wife Margaret, who was later canonised, was quick to continue the fortification of the castle begun by Henry a decade earlier.

It is said Carlisle was one of David’s favourite residences where he spent a great deal of time. He died in his bedchamber in the tower of the castle in late May 1153. 

The discovery of silver deposits near Carlisle in the 1120s led to the swift establishment of a mint where coins were struck of Henry I types XIV and XV.

Coins contiuted to be produced in the name of Stephen of Blois, despite the city being captured by the Scots.

This issue would have begun soon after Stephen’s accession at Christmas 1135 and is generally considered to run until 1141.

Some pennies were produced in the name of David I and it is during this period that the coin headed for auction would have been struck.