A gold coin more than 500 years old has been discovered by an amateur treasure hunter close to the battlefield where Henry Tudor triumphed over Richard III in the Wars of the Roses.

Michelle Vall, a teaching assistant from Blackpool, found the coin, a half angel, during a charity metal-detecting event at Monks Kirby in Warwickshire in September. The site is 11 miles south ofBosworth Field in Leicestershire.

The coin was minted during the two-year reign of Richard III - the last Yorkist king, who was killed during the battle in 1485 - and is one of only a handful in existence. The coin measures about2cm in diameter and weighs less than 3g and is expected to fetch £15,000 at auction.

The coins were introduced in 1472 during the reign of Richard's brother Edward IV.

Ms Vall, 51, spent two and a half hours in the field before discovering the coin. "It was deep down, about 16 inches below the surface, and the soil there is thick clay so it took a bit of diggingout," she said. "I spotted this glint of gold in the hole, although I obviously did not know exactly what it was at first.

Experts have speculated that the coin may have been dropped by one of Richard's soldiers fleeing the battle after he was killed by men loyal to Sir William Stanley. It is up for auction onDecember 13 at a sale of coins, historical medals and paper money at the auctioneer Dix Noonan Webb in London.

Christopher Webb, head of the coins department, said: "This is a very rare discovery that has miraculously survived in a Warwickshire field for more than five centuries.

"Its importance as a coin is enhanced by the tantalising possibility that it may have belonged to one of Richard's army whose defeat at Bosworth ended the Wars of the Roses and ushered in theTudor dynasty."

To read the complete article, see:
Fleeing army may have dropped Richard III gold coin(https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/fleeing-army-may-have-dropped-richard-iii-gold-coin-h8fwxqbsc)

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500-year-old coin that may have been dropped by one of Richard III's soldiers fleeing the Battle of BosworthField is found by an amateur treasure hunter (/sciencetech/article-5092541/500-year-old-coin-amateur-treasure-hunter.html)