The febrile history of England in the 9th century is being rewritten after the discovery of a coin struck on the orders of an obscure Anglo-Saxon king.

The silver coin, bearing the image of Ludica of Mercia, was considered so controversial that experts dismissed it as a fake until metallurgical analysis supported its authenticity.

The coin confounded expectations because the kingdom of Mercia was thought to have lost control of Lundenwic, where the West End of London is now, after it lost a battle against the rival kingdomof Wessex in September of AD825.

The Battle of Ellendun, near where Swindon now stands in Wiltshire, was thought to have been a decisive victory for Wessex, about 50 years before it was taken over by Alfred...

To read the complete article, see:
Detectorist rewrites history with 1,200-year-old coin(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/detectorist-rewrites-history-with-1-200-year-old-coin-crphbwxgt)