The fortunate man uпeаrtһed a 70-pound clay jar that was burіed 1,700 years ago and contained 10,000 Roman coins that were dated between 240 and 320 AD ‎

An novice metal detectorist on his first treasure һᴜпt has discovered an іпсгedіЬɩe һаᴜɩ of over 10,000 Roman coins.

The “nummi” coins, which are made of bronze and silver and date between 240 and 320 AD, were found last month in a farmer’s field close to Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Finder Nick Davies, 30, was on his first treasure hunt when he discovered the coins, mostly crammed inside a buried 70lb clay pot.

Strike it lucky: Nick Davies found this amazing haul of 10,000 Roman coins on his first ever treasure hunt

The stunning collection of coins, most of which were found inside the broken brown pot, was uncovered by Nick during a search of land in the Shrewsbury area – just a month after he took up the hobby of metal detecting.

His amazing find is one of the largest collections of Roman coins ever discovered in Shropshire.

And the haul could be put on display at Shrewsbury’s new £10million heritage centre, it was revealed today.

It is also the biggest collection of Roman coins to be found in Britain this year.

Nick, from Ford, Shropshire, said he never expected to find anything on his first treasure hunt – especially anything of any value.

He recalled the discovery and described it as ‘fantastically exciting’.

Nick said: ‘The top of the pot had been broken in the ground and a large number of the coins spread in the area.

‘All of these were recovered during the excavation with the help of a metal detector.

‘This added at least another 300 coins to the total – it’s fantastically exciting. I never expected to find such treasure on my first outing with the detector.’

The coins have now been sent to the British Museum for detailed examination, before a report is sent to the coroner.

Experts are expected to spend several months cleaning and separating the coins, which have fused together.

They will also give them further identification before sending them to the coroner.

A treasure trove inquest is then expected to take place next year.

Peter Reavill, finds liaison officer from the Portable Antiquities Scheme, records archaeological finds made by the public in England and Wales,

He said the coins were probably payment to a farmer or community at the end of a harvest.

Speaking to the Shropshire Star, Mr Reavill said the coins appear to date from the period 320AD to 340AD, late in the reign of Constantine I.

He said: ‘The coins date to the reign of Constantine I when Britain was being used to produce food for the Roman Empire.

‘It is possible these coins were paid to a farmer who buried them and used them as a kind of piggy-bank.’

Mr Reavill said that among the coins were issues celebrating the anniversary of the founding of Rome and Constantinople.

In total the coins and the pot weigh more than 70lb.

He added: ‘This is probably one of the largest coin hoards ever discovered in Shropshire.

‘The finder, Nick Davies, bought his first metal detector a month ago and this is his first find made with it.

‘The coins were placed in a very large storage jar which had been buried in the ground about 1,700 years ago.’

However, Mr Reavill declined to put a figure on either the value of the coins or the pot until the findings of the inquest are known, but he described the discovery as a ‘large and important’ find.

Mr Reavill said the exact location of the find could not be revealed for security reasons.

Related Posts

Unraveling El Fuerte: Bolivia’s Enigmatic Archaeological Site of Samaipata

Deep in the heart of Bolivia’s Santa Cruz Department lies one of South America’s most perplexing archaeological enigmas. The ancient site of Samaipata, with its mᴀssive carved…

A Brief History of Bog ʙuттer

Turf cutters in Ireland regularly find chunks of ʙuттer deep in the nation’s peat bogs. What is the stuff doing there? Recently, Jack Conway was “cutting turf,” the…

Turkish fisherman opens museum with 15,000 mummified sea creatures

A unique, alien-looking, fish is on display in the Turkish Sea Creatures Museum, Istanbul, Turkey, March 25, 2021. (AA PH๏τo) by Anadolu Agency Mar 26, 2021 7:30 pm…

Let’s see what’s wrong with you: Egyptian mummy goes through CT scan

Medical radiology technicians prepare a CT scan to do a radiological examination of an Egyptian mummy in order to investigate its history at the Policlinico hospital in…

Famed Pennsylvania mummy known as ‘Stoneman Willie’ is FINALLY identified and buried – 128 YEARS after his death

After more than a century, the town of Reading, Pennsylvania closed the casket on Saturday on its oddest-ever resident – a mummified man who was finally buried, 128 years…

Up in arms: Mexican archaeological bureau denounces damage to at least one mummy in Guanajuato’s famous museum

Local authorities respond that mummy deterioration is not new and even inevitable given a history of visitors “touching them or taking souvenirs, such as bits of clothing”…