A "spectacular" 9th Century fake Arabic dinar discovered by a metal detectorist could have been made by a Viking, a university professor said.
The gold coin was discovered near Morston, Norfolk, in April 2021 and has been declared treasure by a coroner.
Rory Naismith said "the Vikings had a lot of contact with the Muslim world" so it was "plausible" they could have struck imitation dinars.
"It's very unusual to find such a thing and it's completely unique," he added.
The imitation coin has a hole punched into it suggesting it was designed to be worn.
Prof Naismith, from Cambridge University, said some gold dinars from the Anglo-Saxon period have been found in England, probably arriving via Italy.
"While there are few other imitations that we know of, this one is a bit ropey," he said.
"It looks like it's made by someone who knows the generalities of what a dinar looks like, but is not handling them enough to get the Arabic right."
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