The Conte collection is made up of 750 Norman and Angevin coins representing the periods of William I, William II, Henry I, Stephen, Henry II-Edward I, Short Cross and Long Cross.
The collector gathered the coins over 25 years and it is thought to be the finest collection of English coins of the period 1066-1279 that exists outside the British Museum.
The most significant sections are the Henry I and Stephen reigns, where the coinage is more complex and there are the fewest survivals.
The collection joins the already strong collection of medieval coins at the museum.
Coin coup for the Fitzwilliam
UK: THE Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge is celebrating a £425,000 Lottery windfall that has helped it acquire a stunning coin collection.
