Unique Roman gold coin to be sold at auction on 27th March

A Roman coin believed to be the first gold aureus of Vitellius to be recorded as a find in the British Isles and found by a man with a metal detector is set to fetch thousands of pounds when it goes up for auction.

The rare gold Roman coin, which portrays the emperor Aulus Vitellius, is due to be sold in our specialist Coins & Ancient Artefacts auction, which will take place on 27th March.

Aulus Vitellius was a Roman emperor who ruled for a brief 8-month turbulent period in 69 AD, a year famously known as the "Year of the Four Emperors." Vitellius came to power after the defeat of Emperor Otho in a civil war between rival claimants to the imperial throne.

Vitellius' reign was short and marked by extravagance and poor decision-making. His government was characterized by indulgence in luxury, feasting, and an excessive lifestyle, which contrasted with the growing instability within the empire. Vitellius made few efforts to restore the moral and administrative order of the state, and his rule was poorly received by many Romans.

The coin was discovered five miles from our Stourbridge saleroom by a metal detectorist in May 2024. The coin was then sent to the British Museum, then disclaimed and returned to the finder, who contacted Mark Hannam, senior coin specialist and auctioneer at Fieldings Auctioneers.

Mark, who is also a keen metal detectorist himself, said the coin was a genuinely amazing find, a unique piece of history, that he hoped would stay local to the Midlands. He said, "To find a coin from AD69 is incredibly rare, as most coins we find in this country are from the third and fourth centuries, and we are talking about a time when the gold was at its purest level. 

The coin is lot 127 in our forthcoming Specialist Coin & Artefacts auction on 27th March and holds a pre-sale estimate of £4,000–6,000

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Do you have a coin collection that you would like to speak to our coin department about? get in touch, we are happy to discuss a single coin or an entire collection. 

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Posted on 17 March 2025 in: TV & Media