UK Treasure Hunter Finds 52,000 Roman Coins

This was in the British press today as well:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/834632-...-second-time

He found £1 million pounds worth of iron age neckbands less than a year ago on his first ever metal detecting expedition and has struck lucky again!

His girlfriend still thinks his hobby is 'a bit dorky' but I bet she will change her mind when he gets his £500,000 payout for his neckbands!

What is it going to do with the price of Roman coins?

Looks like a good use for Badthad's Verdi-gone. Have to sell it in gallons though.

That all depends on whether they ever make it onto the collector market or not. According to the published articles, the Museum of Somerset has expressed interest in acquiring the entire collection and if they obtain them all, then it won't make the slightest bit of difference to the market value. But in Britain, museums have to pay full market value for any "treasure" artefacts they acquire.

52,000 coins at $20 to $50 each is a cool million dollars or two they'll have to pay. Most museums I've been to don't have that kind of spare cash lying around. If they haven't got the cash, and if the British Museum or some other organization or philanthropist doesn't stump up the cash for the museum to buy them, then the coins will go up for auction on the open market. Only if that happens will you then be likely to see a drop in price for the issues represented in the hoard.

There are apparently a number of coins of Carausius, a British usurper, in the hoard. I paid AU$100 for my barely-identifiable Carausius. This amount of coins hitting the market all at once could see that slashed in half.

They don't seem to be doing anything to them at that stage. I suspect the trays are simply being used to sort them out.

I have been thinking about getting into MD and this article certainly pushes me closer! Although this example is certainly rare there has to be smaller treasure in the ground, even in America. I personally have two old home sites on family land and I think it would be interesting to see what I could dig up there. Only if it's just some old utensils, etc.

Thanks for sharing this link!!

colosfj -- to not report it would be both immoral and illegal, deprive the country of invaluable archeological evidence and if found out would be yet another reason for the "ban metal detectors altogether" brigade.