Gloucester medieval penny bought for £2,000 by museum
A 930-year-old silver penny which was found in a field near Gloucester has been sold to a city museum for display.
The medieval coin, hammered during the reign of William the Conqueror, is said to be of "major historical importance".
Gloucester City Council paid £2,000 for the penny, which was found in Highnam by Maureen Jones, a member of Taynton metal detecting club, in 2011.
Before the discovery, experts had no evidence of coins being minted locally between 1077-1080.
The hammered coin features the name Silacwine and where it was minted.
'Money well spent'
Council leader Paul James said: "We are a city with 2,000 years of history. This is a significant find of major historical importance and plugs an historical gap in local knowledge.
"It proves that coins were being minted locally throughout the reign of William something that we haven't been able to do until now."
From 11 July it will be put on display at the City Museum and Art Gallery.
Neil Holbrook, from Cotswold Archaeology, said the coin was worth what the council paid for it.
"What it possibly shows is that Gloucester was the most important of towns in medieval Britain. When you look at the Cathedral you realise just what a centre it was.
"To get one of those coins into the local museum is money well spent. It is something that people can look at and realise what a great place Gloucester was."