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John Cross died aged 72 with few friends or family knowing of his extraordinary collection of Anglo-Saxon coins
A pensioner's collection of rare Anglo-Saxon coins - including a 1066 penny minted for King Harold II before the Battle of Hastings - which was secretly stashed in his caravan has sold for £185,000.
John Cross died aged 72 with few friends or family knowing of his extraordinary collection, which has been described by experts as among the most important of its kind outside any UK museum.
The 80 coins include a 1,400-year-old gold shilling worth an estimated £12,000 and a silver penny minted for King Harold II in 1066 before he was killed at the Battle of Hastings, thought to be worth up to £2,000.
But the extremely rare gold Thrymsa shilling - the most valuable single coin in the collection - dating between 640 and 660 that was minted in Northumbria or York, estimated at £8,000, actually sold for £17,500.
The 72-year-old's secret stash of rare coins sold for the staggering amount after the haul was discovered when his caravan was cleared out near Canterbury.
It was only unearthed when executors assessed belongings at his mobile home and found documents linked to the Anglo Saxon stash.
The 80 coins amassed over 30 years