Late Roman coin hoard from Pewsey coming to auction

[guy]

 

This is an interesting Roman hoard found in Pewsey that is coming up for auction.

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“The hoard of 161 coins was discovered by three metal detectorists from Essex while on a camping weekend in Wiltshire in September 2020. 

The group were staying in a field near the ancient village of Pewsey when they found the treasure trove just six paces from their tent.

By the end of the weekend, they had found 161 coins, including silver Siliqua and Miliarense coins dating from AD 340-402.

The coins are believed to have been buried during the last years of the Roman Empire by people looking to protect their valuables from Saxon raids.

 

 

A nice siliqua from the usurper Eugenius (reign 392-394 AD) minted in modern Trier, Germany

Siliqua from Trier of usurper Magnus Maximus (reign 383-388 AD)

Information from the auction site:

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”No container has been recovered from the site and the coins’ dispersal over an area of around 30 metres across the field suggests that the original parcel was disrupted in recent times by agricultural activity. A few of the recovered coins were badly chipped, broken or fragmentary. Most of these breaks look fresh and it would seem that this unfortunate damage has resulted from regular ploughing of the field for agricultural purposes.

We should be enormously grateful, therefore, that the hoard was recovered when it was before more coins succumbed to a similar fate. Numismatists and historians alike should appreciate the diligent efforts of these three finders in rescuing the Vale of Pewsey Hoard and ensuring that this important group was properly recorded for future study.

In the late Roman period Wiltshire was a place of significant commercial activity, with grain exports to the continent and the nearby Mendip mines, both sources of considerable wealth.”

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-61331388

https://www.noonans.co.uk/auctions/calendar/643/catalogue/

Edited May 6, 2022 by guy