Melvadius Posted October 18, 2012 Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 The BBC is carrying this article and associated video report of a nationally significant discovery of gold coins by a metal detectorist near St Albans. A "nationally significant" hoard of Roman gold coins has been found by a metal detectorist in Hertfordshire. The stash - found on private land north of St Albans - is believed to be one of the largest Roman gold coin hoards discovered in the UK. The 159 coins date to the end of the 4th Century during the final years of Roman rule in Britain. After AD 408 no more coin supplies reached the country. The value of the hoard has not yet been assessed. A team from St Albans City and District Council museums' service investigated the site at the beginning of October to confirm the find. ...continued The Herts Advertiser has a similar article but also indicates that there will be talk in St Albans, I believe at the Verulamium Museum, on Roman gold coins on 1 November 2012: Details are: The museum will be presenting a talk on the Roman gold coins hoard at 7pm on Thursday, November 1. Tickets cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted October 18, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 18, 2012 BTW I've just listened to the video and there is one interesting comment by the reporter which seemed to indicate that one of the solidii is dated to Honorius. Fair enough you may think but the claimed date was AD423 which is actually when he died and more than 10 years after 'new' coinage is generally supposed to have stopped reaching Roman Britain around 406/ 410 AD. IF the claimed date is proven correct this really does make this a Nationally important discovery - well done that metal detectorist for reporting their find and thereby letting the museum get in to check over the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostOfClayton Posted October 23, 2012 Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 BTW I've just listened to the video and there is one interesting comment by the reporter which seemed to indicate that one of the solidii is dated to Honorius. Fair enough you may think but the claimed date was AD423 which is actually when he died and more than 10 years after 'new' coinage is generally supposed to have stopped reaching Roman Britain around 406/ 410 AD. IF the claimed date is proven correct this really does make this a Nationally important discovery - well done that metal detectorist for reporting their find and thereby letting the museum get in to check over the site. Do you think newly minted Roman coinage actually stopped reaching Roman Britain after 410, or do you think it only arrived through unofficial routes (e.g. travellers or small trade). If the whole pot was full of Honorius' mug shot, that would be something, but surely the odd one coin isn't too much of a surprise, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted October 23, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2012 I agree that one or two random coins could have come in after the Roman's abandoned Britain. Since there isn't a lot of information around on the web at present I wrote the suggestion as 'IF'. It really is down to the precise mix of coinage and more importantly IF the information is available on how different period coins were distributed through the horde. Distribution information IF available can indicate where coins may have been built up over an extended period of time being added to a 'savings bank' or alternatively if they all came from a single deposit (all shiny new and unworn and closely dated) which is more likely to indicate a sudden crisis with coins issued at the end of a period of service. I look forward to further reports coming out which will hopefully clarify if the suggested connection exists or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinClarke Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 This is old news and I did not get any updated report after that. I really wonder! ____________________how to buy silver coins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted October 31, 2013 Report Share Posted October 31, 2013 I know the civialian magistrates on both sides of the straights got booted out soon after the army left, and the Bretons declared independance, and entered in Alliance with Rome against Attila... I'm a little surprise more coins are found in England due to the mercenary possibilities. The Romans were hardly hostile to them after the pullout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onasander Posted November 1, 2013 Report Share Posted November 1, 2013 I meant to say my surprise more coins are not found. I cant find the edit button on the mobile version of this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted November 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2013 This is old news and I did not get any updated report after that. I really wonder! ____________________ how to buy silver coins There are now more details of at least some of the coins (55 or so) on the Portable Antiquities Site here: St Albans Hoard The interesting thing is that it looks like somebody conflated dates in the original reports so rather than referring to a coin dated 428 AD it may have been a mistranscribed reference to the fact that the Honorius coins in the Hoard were generally dated between 402 and 408 AD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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