One of just eight known examples of a silver penny made during the 10-month reign of Anglo-Saxon King Harold II – who would lose the pivotal Battle of Hastings in 1066 along with his life – was sold Thursday for nearly $3,000.
Made in Oxford, the coin was expected to fetch up to $2,400 during the Dec. 2 sale by London auction house Spink. The final sale price in British currency was £1,900, or about $2,960.
The 944-year-old coin was made by a so-called moneyer named Aelfwig during the 10-month reign (Jan. 5, 1066- Oct. 14 1066) of King Harold II, according to the Oxford Mail.
Harold, also known as Harold Godwinson, was killed after being shot in the eye with an arrow at the Battle of Hastings, won by William the Conqueror on Oct. 14,1066.
Using nifty graphics, International Health professor Hans Rosling shows how life expectancy and per-capita income have skyrocketed over the past 200 years in countries where the Industrial Revolution has taken hold.
Rosling, a professor at Karolinska Institute and director of the Gapminder Foundation which developed the Trendalyzer software system used in the above video, demonstrates quite clearly the difference between living in, say, Luxembourg and the Congo.
However, Rosling is optimistic that the gap between the haves and the have-nots can be bridged through “aid, trade, green technology and peace,” and that it’s fully possibly every country can eventually become healthy and wealthy.