Roman gold coin hoard found in Hertfordshire, England

A hoard of 159 late Roman solidi (large gold coins) has been found by a
metal detectorist in a field near St Albans. The coins are nearly all of
the last four emperors so the hoard can be dated to late 4th century. In
most cases they are in conditions close to uncirculated. Such coins rarely
circulated because they were of such high value (equivalent to a worker's
yearly wage, say) and used in large mercantile transactions. Although no
value is given in the article, Coin Yearbook lists these coins in EF
condition at £700-£1000 (typical dealer price), so perhaps around £125,000.
£1 = $1.61 at current rates.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...herts-19965507

The coroner has to decide if the hoard constitutes treasure trove in which
case it can be acquired by a museum or museums at a fair market value, paid
to the landowner. It was believed to have been buried in a bag made of
organic material such as leather rather than in a crockery pot. The hoard
will go on display at Verulamium Museum in St Albans.

They were mostly struck in the Italian cities of Milan and Ravenna and
issued under the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian, Theodosius, Arcadius and
Honorius.

I heard from the "grapevine" that a few of the coins were damaged when the
detectorist dug them up with a spade. Eeek.

--
Mike Dworetsky

(Remove pants sp*mbl*ck to reply)

Mike Dworetsky wrote:
A hoard of 159 late Roman solidi (large gold coins) has been found by
a metal detectorist in a field near St Albans. The coins are nearly
all of the last four emperors so the hoard can be dated to late 4th

Sorry, not 4th, of course these are mainly 5th C. coins. Film stories on TV
news today.

century. In most cases they are in conditions close to uncirculated.
Such coins rarely circulated because they were of such high value
(equivalent to a worker's yearly wage, say) and used in large
mercantile transactions. Although no value is given in the article,
Coin Yearbook lists these coins in EF condition at £700-£1000
(typical dealer price), so perhaps around £125,000. £1 = $1.61 at
current rates.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...herts-19965507
The coroner has to decide if the hoard constitutes treasure trove in
which case it can be acquired by a museum or museums at a fair market
value, paid to the landowner. It was believed to have been buried in
a bag made of organic material such as leather rather than in a
crockery pot. The hoard will go on display at Verulamium Museum in
St Albans.
They were mostly struck in the Italian cities of Milan and Ravenna and
issued under the Emperors Gratian, Valentinian, Theodosius, Arcadius
and Honorius.

I heard from the "grapevine" that a few of the coins were damaged
when the detectorist dug them up with a spade. Eeek.

--
Mike Dworetsky

(Remove pants sp*mbl*ck to reply)