I was watching an old episode of Time Team yesterday, when they found the coin above.
It's a Henry V gold 'Noble', and, I'm sure you'll agree, a stunning thing to find. One really has to feel sorry for the poor guy, or gal, who lost it in the first place.
My village has the suffix 'ac' denoting a Roman settlement, and as banks (as we now unfortunately know them) had not yet been universally established, one presumes that when a Roman soldier went off to battle he would have buried his valuables and dug them up if he returned. Many of course did not return and small caches of gold coins could still be buried almost anywhere.
I've always dreamt of finding a cache of gold coins, and, hereabouts, stories of hidden 'Louis d'or' are common-place; although I have yet to meet anyone who's found one. Maybe they just keep it to themselves.
I do have a friend who found an ancient Benin bronze hidden amongst the rafters of a cottage he'd just bought. He sold the object at Sotherby's, and it almost paid for the entire cottage.
I don't possess a metal detector, nor do I go actively looking for treasure, but I'm always peeking under up-rooted tree stumps and in freshly ploughed fields. I suppose it's the idea of 'something for nothing' that appeals. If I find anything I'll let you know.
If you've ever found anything of real interest or value, I'd love to hear about it.
Yes, having purchased a metal detector in a fit of treasure-hunting enthusiasm, I spent a few happy hours underneath the pier at Blackpool (can't remember which one) and discovered almost one shillings worth of pennies and halfpennies.
ReplyDeleteAn hour or so on the fine sand at the top of the beach produced a dining knife in pristine condition, probably lost from somebodys pic-nic, and a good assortment of bottle-tops.
Nothing of any real value, but a pleasant day on the beach.
My mother has this habit of keeping things a bit too safe, and then forgetting them. Many times, we have found such things later and these have been fun times.
ReplyDeleteA problem is, maybe I too am getting the same habit :-)
The nearest I come to that is finding flints on Cissbury Ring. I remember we were all excited with them. Some people are easily pleased. lol
ReplyDeleteBriony
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When I was teaching at Windlesham House School (Findon/Washington), I used to take the children up to Cissbury looking for flint tools. We did find a few.
DeleteThey found about 40,000 Roman coins in a pot under a street in Bath recently. They are still looking for the body of the statue of Minerva - the head was found in the late 19th C. in a drain near the same street.
ReplyDeleteBack in the 60's aged 6 I picked up an old penny that was lying on a path next to a river. It was dated 1803. I still have it. I was thrilled.
ReplyDelete(Presumably the wives of the Roman soldiers were deemed not worthy of being warned where the gold was hidden? Or did married men not join up?)
Dad found some Indian arrow heads on our farm near Orillia Ontario. I've never found anything...just the odd 'lucky' penny.
ReplyDeleteI found an arrow head IN a rock once! We are always looking earthward for new treasures.
ReplyDeleteI once found a coin with an unknown king on it don't know where it's got to now though. An old neighbour who I used to look after hid a wallet with £3,000 in it - I know because I had already found it once for him. This time no one could find it and it still remained a mystery after his death.
ReplyDeleteI found an old Spanish coin (1690's) while grubbing around for worms to feed to my pet tortoise. We lived in an old Moorish house high in the hills above Constantina Spain.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes find pennies or newer coins. My brother was always the one who found stuff. Once when we were swimming at the beach, he found a man's gold ring. He also found a higher end Bulova watch on a city street. Later on, he got a metal detector, and i'm not sure of what all he found. He seemed to be pretty lucky without one.
ReplyDeleteO/H once found a Roman coin with The head of Constantine II on it. He also found a piece of vitrified Roman glass when he was working some ground at the Mill
ReplyDeleteI found my husband. Most valuable possession to date.
ReplyDeleteI found a £10 note in a supermarket car park a few years ago. I handed it in at customer services, thinking some old dear would probably realise she had lost it and go back to see if anyone had found it.
ReplyDeleteI also realised it would probably go straight into the pocket of the person on the desk - it was a young woman who looked at me as if I had just landed from another planet. But somehow the guilt of keeping it would have been too much to bear.
My grandad always told my little brother look down for treasure up for bird shite in the eye.... my brother was always the one to find the 6p pieces. I was always jealous but was so much happier looking up and around about me.
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland, NZ