DetectingWales.com

Courtesy of BBC Online 14th November 2009



The discovery of a rare 15th Century gold coin in Powys has triggered a legal row.
The coin, from the reign of Henry IV, was unearthed by contractor Shaun Bufton on 28 April while he was working on a new water pipeline in Newtown. But archaeologists failed to return it to him.

Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust said it had made a mistake in not returning the coin and it regretted not having told him what was happening. When it was minted in about 1400, Henry IV had just become king and Owain Glyndwr's rebellion was under way in Wales. Wafer-thin, it weighs only as much as a modern penny, but is the size of a 50p.

It is known as a noble coin and would have been used by international traders, the gentry or nobility. Shaun Bufton said he found it near a hedge on the site of a pipeline in Newtown.

He added: "A couple of gentlemen working for Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust took it away from me to investigate what it was."

Mr Bufton said he signed a form confirming he had found the ornate coin and was given a written promise by archaeologists would return it, but he has not seen it since. Mr Bufton said his solicitors in Newtown had written to the trust, but he had received no response.

"I've had nothing whatsoever," he added. "I'm a bit cheesed off basically.

"I want it to be returned. It's my coin as far as I'm concerned."

The Clwyd-Powys Archaeological Trust said it made a "mistake" in not returning the coin to the finder and "regrets" not telling him what was happening to it. The coin was passed on to the owners of an industrial estate, Ashtenne, where it was found.

Ashtenne said it knew nothing about the coin until July when the trust told it the coin could be collected. Its now in Cardiff's National Museum of Wales while the company decides what to do with it.

Mr Bufton's solicitors, Robert Hanratty and Co, said a single coin was not treasure trove so legal ownership was unclear.

David Stephenson, a research fellow in medieval history at Bangor University, said the coin was known as a noble.

"It's probably a noble from the early part of the reign of Henry IV, let's say around 1400," he added.

"It's interesting because gold coins are something special.

"Although hundreds of thousands were made they only got used by very high value people." Mr Stephenson said not many of the coins survived.

"I think the coins tell us something and closer analysis may reveal what it tells us about the history of mid Wales at an interesting and rather mysterious time," he said.

 

Just look at the fantastic condition that coin is in - no wonder the guy who found it wants it back!!

wow,  thats a cracker that,   i know someone that found one years ago,  don't know what condition it was in though i bet it wasn't that good,

what a beut this coin is, lucky sod

is'nt that typical of some archeologists who do'nt show any regard or respect for the general public(us included) who hand things to them recording...did'nt they even think of telling him what they intend doing with it?....byron

Wow, wish i'd found it   ;D ;D

yeah  looks like they didn't want him to have it back Byron hey, lol.   looks like he don;'t realise he has to share it with the landowner though, could be more probs ahead mate,

I might be wrong but i think i read somewhere that found items can be returned to the landowner and not to the finder can someone please tell me if this is correct? But that is a hell of a coin and i would be well peeved if that had happened to me.

And they call us thieves ???

There must be masses of stuff missing. Even on Time Team they admit they go to museums looking for pieces that were deposited there...and they are gone!

hi jonola

your last post made me recall a position of our local museum. this was closed 3 years ago and the stuff put into storage somewhere in the county.

last year a group of volunteers re-opened a museum, but only a few artefacts were released from storage into their care.

just recently they were told that the items in storage would be disposed within the next 4 weeks as it was proving to costly to keep them in there. they were offered the collection, but they were also told in the converstaion that they had 4 weeks to move out of their current council premises and to find somewhere else.

the current perception is that the council will now dispose of the entire museum collection -- probably thro auction. [yet most of the items were donated to the museum].

needless to say the council has financial problems due to a poor investment to the tune of £6m in an iceland bank

Handyman i know that every so often the BM puts items onto ebay to sell off. These items wold have been donated to them and they have been signed over to them to do as they want.

its a detectorists dream to find something as good as that ....  what a coin........ :D