Ring found near Harrogate by metal-detecting father and two sons sells for hammer price of £6,500

Metal detecting has been a real family affair for 65 year-old Jeff Warden, 65, and his sons Michael, 41, and Nick, 42.

Michael and Nick have been ‘detecting’ since they were six years old along with mum Wendy.

It was on the only available stubble field close to Harrogate in Yorkshire, that Jeff uncovered a silver hammered penny.

Searching closely around 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 gold iconographic ring.

Digging all signals within the area, at a depth of 12 inches, in the bottom of the hole was a gold shank.

Carefully removing the gold object, it revealed itself as a gold iconographic ring, engraved on the bezel with images of the holy trinity and has traces of enamel in the design.

At this point, the family then realised they had found a scattered hoard, so proceeded to create a square grid to recover as much as possible.

Several more coins were discovered.

As Nigel Mills, Consultant (Artefacts and Antiquities) at Noonans explains: “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 thirty 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 ring sold for £6,500 at Mayfair-based auction house Noonans on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 in a sale of Jewellery, Watches and Objects of Vertu.

The coins will be sold in four lots, which are expected to fetch £260-340.

They will be sold in Noonans coin sale on the Wednesday, September 28, 2022.

The sales are recorded under the Treasure Act as 2020 T631 and the proceeds will be split 50/50 with the landowner and the Warden family.