First-Time Treasure Hunter Finds Gold Worth $160,000
Armed with a basic metal detector, a first-time treasure hunter in Britain reportedly has uncovered a trove of Roman-era gold coins that experts believe represents one of the largest such finds in England's history.
The
cache of coins - Roman solidi dating back to the 4th century - is
estimated to be worth £100,000, or about $160,000 in U.S. dollars.
According
to the Helmel Gazette newspaper, the man - whose name has not been made
public - reportedly bought a beginner's metal detector from a shop in
the Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, area. A few weeks later, the man
returned to the shop, showed the shopkeepers 40 gold coins, and asked
them: "What do I do with this?"
The
shop's owners, David Sewell and Mark Becher, were stunned. They told
the novice treasure hunter to
notify authorities of his discovery, the
paper added. When he obtained the required permits, Sewell, Becher and
others returned with the man to the discovery site.
"We
went with them and took with us a couple of slightly more potent
machines and we pulled 119 more coins out of the ground," Sewell told
the Daily Mail newspaper. "These are 22 carat gold, they haven't got any
damage and they came out of the ground looking like the day they were
made."
He added: "I've found
bits and pieces but nothing like this. I've got immense satisfaction
that the guy came to us and bought the machine from us, but I would be
lying if I said I didn't wish it had been me."
The solidus coin
dates to the closing years of the fourth century. They typically were
buried as a sacrifice to gods when the owner was going on a journey or
in times of war, said David Thorold, a curator at the St. Albans'
Verulamium Museum, the Associated Press reported.
The
local government said the coins were found on private land. Experts at
the British Museum will examine the haul to determine its final value.
Depending on their opinion, the amateur treasure hunter could get at
least a share of the proceeds, reports said.
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