Brothers and their father discovered a medieval treasure, sold it for hundreds of thousands

Jeff, Michael and Nick Warden stumbled across a hoard of silver coins with a gold ring during a detector search in a field in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. Sixty-five-year-old father Jeff first discovered the silver penny.

Further signals soon came when sons Michael and Nick came across more coins. The detectors went "almost crazy" at that point, they said. At a depth of about 30cm lay 21 coins and a gold ring that experts say is one of the most unique ever found. The treasure was apparently deposited by a soldier or several soldiers during one of the many battles of the War of the Roses.

The collection dates from the late 1570s. It was deposited during the protracted conflict between the Lancastrians and the Yorks, which lasted 3 decades from 1455 to 1487. The coins form an unusual denomination of two shillings and three pence: 'The earliest issues date from the reign of Edward IV of York in the 1460s. The latest date from his second reign after he deposed Henry VI in 1471. I can think of no other treasure like it. The fact that the coins were not particularly valuable suggests they did not belong to a rich man," said Noonan's Web numismatic specialist Mr Nigel Mills.

"The coins appear to have been buried in haste. It may have been a joint decision by several soldiers who just happened to have the coins and ring. It is likely that they were preparing for battle. The fact that the treasure was never found suggests that they fell. However, it is impossible to say which side they fought for, since one of the coins was minted in Norwich. This suggests they were taken further south before heading north," Mr Mills added.

The whole set has a very interesting story to tell, and also a value: the ring alone has now sold for a staggering £6,500 - almost £182,000.

Roman Nemec

Sources: as-ansar.org, express.co.uk

father and sons

The gold ring went for 182,000 crowns