A MEDIEVAL penny - thought to have been minted in a Suffolk market town - has sold at auction for more than £2,000 and is set to stay in the county.The King Stephen penny, found by a metal detector enthusiast in a field near Eye earlier this year, was one of the lots at an auction at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Ipswich.
A MEDIEVAL penny - thought to have been minted in a Suffolk market town - has sold at auction for more than £2,000 and is set to stay in the county.
The King Stephen penny, found by a metal detector enthusiast in a field near Eye earlier this year, was one of the lots at an auction at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Ipswich.
A private collector paid £2,030 for the small silver coin, which was expected to raise between £1,500 and £2,000.
Its discovery in July excited archaeologists and historians because it finally confirmed speculation that there was a mint at Eye in the 12th century.
The town's name is marked clearly on the penny, which was minted between 1135 and 1138. Silver pennies were common currency in the 12th century.
A spokeswoman for Lockdales, the auctioneers, said she could not identify the buyer but it was a private collector and the coin would be staying in Suffolk. The finder of the penny has asked to remain anonymous.
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