Detectorist Unearths 15,000 Roman Silver Coins in Hoard That Could Be Wales' Biggest Find

Breitbart News ^ | October 23, 2025 | Simon Kent

[SunkenCiv]

An amateur metal detectorist profoundly believes in that maxim and it came true when he uncovered up to 15,000 Roman coins buried in a hoard that could be Wales' biggest-ever treasure find.The BBC reports David Moss, 36, from Cheshire, made the discovery that left him in disbelief after he dug up up two clay pots in an undisclosed northern part of the country.But the epic find in a muddy field left him fearing they could be stolen, so he slept with the treasure in his car for three days before taking the coins to experts, the BBC notes.The coins are now in the safe hands of the National Museum Cardiff where they will be analysed, but one expert believes it will likely prove to be the biggest ever discovery in Wales.

David described the area -- which he has chosen to keep secret -- as a "virtually untouched" area.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

LOL...join me in never knowing! My wife, dog, and friends took off after a couple of minutes while I was chatting with him. But, after 20 minutes, I figured I better go find them. So I said good bye to Tom and let him get back to his digging.

[SunkenCiv]

Here in The Michigan Boonies, most of the metal hits appear to be (I followed a couple of detectorists around the yard here one time, letting them know the location of the vanished farm buildings) broken rusty bolts off things, broken bits of flat metal pieces of things (sometimes with bolts through them), bits of barbed wire. In the west barbed wire was in use here and there, but where the grass was a little lean (and on the altiplano) herd grazing tended to be mobile and managed by riders and probably dogs, so, not much in the way of wire, and thanks to the distances covered, lost and dropped items would be spread out over perhaps hundreds of miles.

[Karliner]

Was there a letter?
Serious, what a find.

All I’ve ever found was spare change.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I often run across old barbed wire fences on my hikes in CA, ID and MT. I often wonder who put it there and when. The stuff is rusted, but seem indestructible. I saw a fence line with five strands of barbed wire last week — an unusually high number of strands.

[SunkenCiv]

No letter, just a ticket for an aeroplane.

[SunkenCiv]

I used to see detectorists at the Lake Michigan shoreline. Based on what the inconsiderate pigs leave behind, I’d imagine there were a lot of screw-tops from beverages and such.

[mass55th]

Time Team is a UK archaeological series that ran for 20 years. The first ten episodes are available on Amazon Prime. Time Team now has a YouTube Channel where they cover more recent digs they conduct. They also have a channel on Patreon, but I’m not willing to pay to be a member. I subscribe to several WWII metal dectorist channels on YouTube. They detect in Germany mostly and a couple other guys in Russia.

[Karliner]

Return to sender, no such number...

[ckilmer]

I’ve seen lots of YouTubes with guys using metal detectors to find gold out west. But it’s the naturally occurring gold. This was a couple of years ago when gold was half current prices. So likely there are even more guys roaming the the forests mountains and deserts either metal detectors

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I’m reading a great book “Gunfighters, Highway Men and Vigilantes” all about two of the most famous and most notorious western gold and silver mining boom towns - Aurora, NV and Bodie, CA - in the mid- to late-1800s. Really enjoyable and highly recommended.

[ckilmer]

I’ve seen YouTubes of guys panning or sleucing the sand for gold on those shorelines. They pull out fine gold but not in the quantities they they do offshore of gnome Alaska.

[ckilmer]

I’ve seen YouTubes showing detectorists around those towns. They say the best places to find gold is in places it’s already been .found. The old timers went after the biggest and easiest to find and cheapest to mine deposits. But vastly improved detector tools and vastly higher prices increase the allure of gold. Nevada still has a lot of it.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Yes. Recovery methods 150 years ago were crude and they weren’t worried about improving recovery percentage. The tailings piles have lots of gold in them.

[SunkenCiv]

I've heard there's a shortage in Gnome.

[SunkenCiv]

---

The rest of the metal detecting keywords, sorted:

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• Exploration of Grodziec Forest District reveals three treasure hoards [08/14/2025]
• Gold Prospector Rejects $400 Offer for Rare Discovery Under Campsite [08/01/2025]
• 7th C. Sword With Gold Handle Found by Elderly Lady in Field That Metal Detector Pros Said was Empty [06/08/2025]
• Metal Detector Left Him Stunned After Unearthing Ancient Ring Belonging to the Sheriff of Nottingham [2022] [06/08/2025]
• 18th Century Gold Mourning Ring Discovered by Metal Detectorist is 'One of a Kind' British Treasure [06/08/2025]
• An 8-Year-Old Boy Got a Metal Detector for His Birthday -- and Found a 170-Year-Old Shipwreck [05/15/2025]
• Anglo-Saxon gold and garnet raven's head found [05/12/2025]
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• Stunning Iron Age Dagger Found on Polish Beach [04/12/2025]
• 2,000-Year-Old Iron Age Treasure Hoard Found in Britain [03/28/2025]
• Ancient Coins From Britain Discovered on Dutch Soil [01/31/2025]
• Coin Hoard in Germany Contains Roman and Gallic Coins [10/25/2024]
• Trump shooter's ominous request to his boss before assassination attempt revealed.. Three Hours before shooting - Crooks Triggered Metal Detector - and they let him in anyway! [07/16/2024]
• Tiny, 1800-year-old portrait of Alexander the Great found in Denmark [05/07/2024]
• Roman gold hoard suggests Nordic connection to network of European elite [04/09/2024]
• Largest Gold Nugget Ever Found in England Unearthed With Faulty Metal Detector [04/08/2024]
• Metal Detectorist Finds on 4,000-year-old Dagger in Poland Forests [02/26/2024]
• 'Completely surreal': Metal detectorist unearths 1,500-year-old gold ring in Denmark [02/22/2024]
• Looting of coin hoard site prompts call for survey [Jersey] [09/22/2023]
• 1500-year-old gold treasure discovered by metal detectorist: "This is the gold find of the century in Norway" [09/08/2023]
• Ancient Viking treasure has oldest-known reference to Norse god Odin [03/08/2023]
• The ancient golden treasure rewriting Danish history [07/19/2022]
• Man leading search for King John's Treasure has pinpointed a small area at Sutton Bridge [07/01/2022]
• Two Bronze Age hoards found on farm near Royston [12/12/2021]
• GOP lawmakers call for Pelosi to be fined over new screenings (rules for you, not her) [02/05/2021]
• Metal-detecting couple find one of Britain's biggest ever treasure hoards [tr] [08/26/2019]
• The Detectorists [08/31/2018]
• Boy finds WWII plane with pilot's remains in cockpit [03/09/2017]
• Man With Metal Detector Finds Roman-Era Grave [09/02/2015]
• Ancient coins worth more than £1 million found buried in lead bucket in farmer's field [01/02/2015]
• Ancient Celtic offshore Banking [update to 2012 story] [12/07/2014]
• Amateur archaeologists unearth Viking gold [05/05/2014]
• Sheperdswell metal detector Greg Sweetman finds valuable Anglo-Saxon artefacts [03/02/2014]
• Amateur Treasure Hunter Finds Roman Gold Hoard [02/22/2014]
• Fairbanks duo find more than metal with detectors [10/29/2013]
• Missing keys hunt unearths treasure trove find [07/31/2013]
• Viking gold discovered by amateur with metal detector in Co Down [06/27/2013]
• Danish teenager makes rare Viking-era find with metal detector [05/17/2013]
• German battlefield yields Roman surprises [05/13/2013]
• Civil War Ring Returned to Owner's Family [04/13/2013]
• Amateur with metal detector finds 1,600-year-old royal ring [03/30/2013]
• Need Help Finding Good Metal Detector [03/09/2013]
• Want to find his hidden treasure worth millions? Head outdoors [02/27/2013]
• Gold nugget found near Ballarat[Australia- 12 pounds] [01/17/2013]
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• TSA PO'd over plug outrage [06/25/2012]
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• Obama sets off White House metal detector [12/10/2011]
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• Detectors out to track Somerset man's lost wedding ring [11/26/2011]
• Coins from 17AD found under Jerusalem's Western Wall hints sacred site NOT built by Herod [11/26/2011]
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• Treasure hunt novice struck £1m gold on first outing[Scotland] [11/05/2009]
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• The beep that made me leap: Housewife discovers £250,000 gold treasure after seven years [06/27/2009]
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• 700-year-old coins found in field[UK] [11/10/2008]
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• Why Does This Metal Detector Keep Going Off?? [12/17/2002]

[abb]

We’ve been to Bodie. One of the best-preserved ghost towns in the entire Western USA. Well worth a day’s visit if ever you’re in the region.

It is a California State Park, and they’ve done a great job preserving it.

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=509

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I've driven 395 Bishop-Mammoth-Lee Vining-Bridgeport many times, but I've never gotten to Bodie! I've been to the Tufa Towers on Mono Lake, but not to Bodie.

My wife and I toured Rhyolite, NV (another ghost town from the same era) in the springtime this year and it was pretty cool, too.