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Good point. Unfortunately, the peddlers of overpriced slabbed tat still manage to attract buyers....

I've done an image comparison on computer, taking perspective distortions etc into account (I'm used to doing this when comparing Iceni coins with published dies), and details on this coin and the PAS one appear virtually identical right down to die flaws. I did contact the seller yesterday telling him this - he explained why he doesn't want to send it to PAS or EMC

With regard to coin fairs, auctions and the like, another factor to be taken into consideration is how expensive the hobby can be. Older people tend to be the ones with the spare cash, hence you probably won't see many young people there as they just can't afford it. I wouldn't mind betting that was also the case 50 years ago.

To be clear, I do not believe it to be genuine... PAS reports (although there's no record of this coin) are also awaiting validation, so many coins like these are submitted by local FLOs but then pending confirmation from numismatic specialists.

I agree, PAS does not value the item. However a professional valuation is asked for by the FLO that is inserted in his/her notification to PAS. This also assists any museum in their decision whether to express an interest. Frank

The PAS will not value a find, though ‘Treasure’ items are valued by the ‘Treasure Valuation Committee’ as part of the Treasure process, if found to be Treasure and a museum wishes to acquire. As a single find it would not qualify. But this coin does not appear to have been reported to the PAS, and I suspect that the landowner is unaware of its existence, if genuine. To my mind it is not an obvious fake, as most are, and indeed may be a die duplicate of the PAS one . Jerry

there's an interesting (apparently) certificate authenticating the coin among the pictures. It COULD be genuine? If it is, then it could well fetch £100k or thereabouts. IF... however, the problem is that a Viking king Eric in the north is not necessarily Bloodaxe - Eric was a common name.

Eric? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134380955867?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=YM6dfbniSHS&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=G6uCbYI7QUO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY