UK: While digging in backyard man unearths hoard of 20,000 Roman coins.

BBC On-Line ^ | Thursday, 11 March, 2004 | staff writer

[yankeedame]

Last Updated: Thursday, 11 March, 2004, 11:45 GMT

Roman treasure found in pond dig

The coins are thought to date from the 4th century

A man unearthed a priceless hoard of 20,000 Roman coins as he dug a new fishpond in his back garden. Experts say the money may date from the 4th Century and could be the biggest find of its kind in Britain.

The coins were crammed into a ceramic pot which broke up as it was dug out of the ground at Thornbury, Gloucestershire.

Now a coroner must decide if Ken Allen, who made the discovery, can keep the treasure.

Gail Boyle, from Bristol Museum, said: "This is the most amazing find of treasure to come out of this area for 30 years."

Mr Allen said: "It was a great surprise and at first I didn't realise what we had found.

"The pot was perfectly upright, I can't believe that this discovery was only 20ft from our house."

"I can't believe that this discovery was only 20ft from our house,"- Ken Allen

Kurt Adams, the Finds Liaison Officer for Gloucestershire and Avon, said: "The coins identified so far can be attributed to Constantine the Great.

"The mint marks - a letter or symbol used to indicate the mint which produced the coin - suggest Trier, Germany and Constantinople as possible places of origin."

Treasure trove

The coins are in the care of Bristol City Museum & Art Gallery where they are being cleaned in a special laboratory.

They will then be taken to the British Museum in London for further examination.

A spokeswoman for Bristol Coroner's Court said that even though the coins were found on Mr Allen's property they could still be ruled as being property of the state.

"What determines this is if the coins were buried there intentionally or lost.

"It is possible somebody put them there and forgot about them, or never intended for them to be found.

"The coroner can rule whether they are the finder's treasure or not."

[2banana]

There is alot of history in Britian. It took the Athens subway about 20 years to go 3 miles - every 10 feet they had to stop and investigate all the artificats that were found...

[ffusco]

Amazing that these things are still being unearthed!

Roma Victa!

[Publius]

The coins were deliberately buried when Roman governor Franklinus Delanus Rooseveltus ordered the confiscation of all coins of precious metal in order to replace them with notes from the Bancus Brittanorum.

[billorites]

"Now a coroner must decide if Ken Allen, who made the discovery, can keep the treasure."

Fat chance, Ken.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

A spokeswoman for Bristol Coroner's Court said that even though the coins were found on Mr Allen's property they could still be ruled as being property of the state.

"What determines this is if the coins were buried there intentionally or lost.

The intentions of the 4th century owner would be impossible to determine, therefore they belong to the state.

Everything rightfully belongs to the state.

[weegee]

"It is possible somebody put them there and forgot about them..."

Put an advert in the lost and found column of the daily newspaper. If "he" doesn't come around to claim them, then he certainly has forgotten about them.

[annyokie]

ping!

[weegee]

Since England would have been a part of the Roman Empire, to which "State" should the coins go? Back to Rome? Or to the British Museum?

[international american]

They should let him keep it. What crap!!

[EagleMamaMT]

Read later.

[Mark Felton]

quick...buy stock in British metal detectors. The craze will be re-ignited.

[Puddleglum]

There is alot of history in Britian. It took the Athens subway about 20 years to go 3 miles - every 10 feet they had to stop and investigate all the artificats that were found...

This is every treasure hunter's dream! Incidentally, it took Boston 14 years and 15 billion dollars to go 2 miles underground - but that has nothing to do with artifacts.

[SolutionsOnly]

***""It is possible somebody put them there and forgot about them..."***


It's more likely that someone hid them before getting whacked.

They belong to the finder. They aren't English coins. The Roman empire no longer exists. The answer can't be more obvious to me.

[bobo1]

"they could still be ruled as being property of the state."

They will.

"It is possible somebody put them there and forgot about them, or never intended for them to be found."

Or never intended them to be found and died before they recovered them?

"The coroner can rule whether they are the finder's treasure or not."

Shucks, I can just see a "public" servant ruling in favor of the "public". He should have told nobody and sold them one at a time. The very fact that they were buried in the ground means that the depositer "never intended for them to be found".

"What determines this is if the coins were buried there intentionally or lost".

When coins get "lost" they usually find a pot and plant themselves in the ground.

Interesting. If I ever find anthing of value, the last thing that I will do is tell my government. The would claim first "dibs" and all I would be left with is the broken pottery.

Blessings, Bobo

[Pearls Before Swine]

A coroner? What is the basis of his legal authority and mandate? We're not talking about cause of death here.

[don-o]

"It is possible somebody put them there and forgot about them, or never intended for them to be found.

You can't make this stuff and satire is over.