Craig Best, 46, and Roger Pilling, 75, have been convicted of conspiring to sell ninth century coins believed to have been buried by a Viking. The coins are thought to have originated from the Herefordshire Hoard, which was worth millions of pounds.
Pilling, who ran an engineering company, was arrested at his home in Loveclough, Lancashire, where a further 41 coins were seized.
The police launched an undercover operation after Best tried to sell coins to a genuine American collector, who contacted UK-based experts about the availability of extremely rare and valuable examples - before the authorities were notified.Judge James Adkin adjourned the case, telling the defendants that the sentencing would be"complicated" due to the rarity of the offences.
Experts believe the coins indicate Alfred must have had an alliance with Ceolwulf - before he was largely erased from the history books by Alfred's court.The Mercian ruler disappeared from history in 879 CE, with Alfred inexplicably recorded as ruling a large part of Ceolwulf's kingdom.
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