One of England’s earliest gold coins, unearthed in a field in the Hemyock area, has been sold at auction for £540,000.

A metal detectorist found the coin when he returned to the hobby after a ten-year break.

He was unaware of how rare it was until his Facebook post was spotted by a specialist at Spink auctioneers in London, who sold it on Sunday.

The finder, an ecologist, who wishes to remain anonymous, is entitled to keep it because it is not part of a larger discovery.

He said: “The coin was found in an unappealing field and could quite easily never have been recovered.

" I feel I have to apologise to all those other detectorists who search and dream.”

The coin, thought to have been made in 1257 and showing Henry III on the throne, is under an inch (2.5cm) wide and is the first of its kind to be found in 260 years.

Only eight of the coins are known to exist and are mainly only available to see in museums.

About 52,000 of the coins were minted and would have been worth the equivalent of £60 in today’s money.

One side of the coin shows the bearded king on the throne and the other features a long cross and roses.