Hoard of coins found in region could fetch £80,000 at auction

The Viking/Saxon hoard found in Ryedale, North Yorkshire, going up for sale at Spink, London, on March 26, were discovered in 2012. The 65 silver coins and four ingots, now up for sale in separate lots, shows the fascinating mix of different cultures and religions in 10th century England. It includes a Viking coin - which has been given the top estimate of £7,000 to £9,000 - showing both the Christian cross and Thor’s hammer.

Expert Jon Mann said the hoard encapsulated the meeting of the Viking bullion system, which valued weight and purity above form, with the Saxons’ Western European monetary economy.

A number of coins bear for the first time in history the title used by Aethelstan who took the kingdom of Northumbria in 927 and styled himself Rex Totius Britanniae; King of all England. Others bear a church - which some believe to be the earliest depiction of York Minster. Mr Mann said the auction was “a real first” as coins of their calibre normally ended up in a museum. There had been a “very healthy” amount of interest, including from the United States.