A rare silver penny found in a field dating to 1150 and made out to a local Yorkshire baron rather than King John is due to be auctioned.

The coin, unearthed by a metal detectorist, is from a forgotten period of British history known as 'the Anarchy', during in-fighting between the grandchildren of William the Conqueror.

It was discovered in a Yorkshire field on March 12, dating from around AD 1148 to 1152 when a civil war raged over the right to rule England.

During this time of turmoil, a brief window in crown authority allowed local noblemen to start issuing coins in their own likeness, rather than the king.

As a result of this time of chaos, the coin was minted depicting an obscure Yorkshire Baron rather than the ruling King Stephen.

The coin shows a medieval knight on horseback brandishing a sword and is attributed to the obscure Baron Robert de Stuteville who was present at the 'Battle of the Standard', one of the more famous skirmishes at Cowton Moor near Northallerton on August 22, 1138.

Experts said the discovery is the first new find of its type to be documented in over 100 years and expect the coin to sell for at least £6,000.

Gregory Edmund, auctioneer for Spink and Son, said it was an "understatement" to just describe this coin as rare.

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Rare silver coin depicting obscure Yorkshire baron which was found in a field to go under the hammer(https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/rare-silver-coin-depicting-obscure-yorkshire-baron-which-was-found-field-go-under-hammer-2899490)