Roman and Celtic coin hoard found in Jersey

[Neil]

Courtesy of BBC Online

One of Europe's largest hoards of Iron Age coins has been unearthed in Jersey, according to an expert.

The Roman and Celtic coins, which date from the 1st Century BC, were found by two metal detector enthusiasts.

Dr Philip de Jersey, a former Celtic coin expert at Oxford University, said the haul was "extremely exciting and very significant".

The hoard is likely to be worth millions of pounds with each individual coin worth between £100 and £200.

The exact number of coins found has not been established but archaelogists said the hoard weighed about half a tonne.

'Once in a lifetime'
 
The exact location of the hoard has not been revealed by the authorities.

It was found by Reg Mead and Richard Miles in a field in the east of Jersey.

They had been searching for more than 30 years after hearing rumours that a farmer had discovered silver coins while working on his land.

Mr Mead and Mr Miles worked with experts from Jersey Heritage to slowly unearth the treasure.

A large mound of clay containing the coins has now been taken to the Jersey archive centre to be examined.

It is the first hoard of coins found in the island for more than 60 years.

Several hoards of Celtic coins have been found in Jersey before but the largest was in 1935 at La Marquanderie when more than 11,000 were discovered.

Dr de Jersey said it would take months for archaelogists to find out the full value of the haul.

He said: "It is extremely exciting and very significant. It will add a huge amount of new information, not just about the coins themselves but the people who were using them.

"Most archaeologist with an interest in coins spend their lives in libraries writing about coins and looking at pictures of coins.

"For me as an archaeologist, with an interest in coins, to actually go out and excavate one in a field, most of us never get that opportunity. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The ownership of the coins is unclear. Mr Mead said he had asked the States of Jersey for clarification.

[JBM]

Did you see the detectors that Reg and Richard were using.  :)Jerry.

[Chef Geoff]

Jerry you've been in the hobby too long to take any notice or believe machines are a factor when finding hoards If it was we would all be out using 20 year old Whites Spectrums lol
The only machine I could see on BBC looked like a Golden Mask

[Val Beechey]

I wonder what the signal sounded like.

Val

[Napoleon]

Thanks Neil nice read always enjoy seen a hoard pop up  i dream more   . lol can wait to find one and sell my chefs white for good .

[imnotginger]

will the farmer and detectrist get the estamated 10 million pounds for these coins ?

[avalon]

I've just had radio Gloucestershire on the phone they want me to talk on the radio tomorrow about metal detecting and finding hoards. Not a lot I can say really, but I might do it for the PR. Might be a few farmers listening.

[avalon]

If the hoard weighs half a ton, that would be 1102 lb. A denarius weighs about 3.2 g, so a 1000 would weigh 7.054lb. So I make it 156000 coins, which at £200 per coin should be £31m. I think someone must have there figures wrong.


http://www.channelonline.tv/channelonline/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=500095

[nobby]

they're probably taking all the soil that comes with it into account as well Steve......looks like theyre being transported insitu

[Chef Geoff]

Yes I've seen two weights so far today half a ton and three quarters of a ton. Was that will the clay? must be and is there anything under the coins?
I think that we shall get a much more realistic figure in time.
I've only heard of Silver coins coming up and if they are Denari's and Staters, then the British tribe will be the Durotriges and the continental ones are Armorican.
The average price for any of those 3 is £30, so I think there is a bit of journalistic licence going on there.
Just heard that they were using Bounty Hunters

[avalon]

Bounty hunter,  i'm sure it will be the new Minelab CTX 3030 by the time it gets to Treasure Hunting magazine next month 

[Mike]

the size of that lump of coins you would have found it with a pro pointer 

[Whiteduke]

Not the first time This pair have been in the news

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey-16908068

"Mr Mead and Mr Miles hope to find more in the field and so will not say where it is."

Some hope of that eh!

 

[Chef Geoff]

Well after seeing the news, the machines they have are a hoard hunter (Cscope CS900) and what looks like a Golden Mask.

[Chef Geoff]

Some better pics of the hoard;
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2164897/Pair-metal-detector-friends-discover-quarters-TON-Iron-Age-coins-worth-10m-buried-field-Jersey-searching-30-years.html

Looking at the depth, no wonder they had the Cscope.

And today it actually weighs a whole ton just imagine what it will weigh by the end of the week