Hoard of Iron Age coins sets British record
Guinness World Records officially recognises £10m collection found under a hedge in Jersey in 2012
A HOARD of Iron Age coins worth up to £10 million has been officially recognised as the largest collection ever found in the British Isles after two detectorists were tipped off by a woman who spotted a “shiny button” in a field. Reg Mead and Richard Miles have spent the past 30 years searching for the coin collection on Jersey after initially receiving a tip-off in the Eighties from a woman who said she had spotted something that looked like silver buttons in a field.
Eventually, in 2012, they discovered the 69,347 coins, which date from the first century BC and had lain buried for 2,000 years.
The pair have now had their collection recognised by Guinness World Records. It overtakes the previous record for the largest collection of Iron Age coins of 54,951 found more than 40 years ago in Wiltshire.
Some of the treasure from the hoard is now on display at La Hougue Bie Museum in Jersey.
They are being shown to illustrate the development of economies and coinage from more than 2,000 years ago.
Olga Finch, curator of archaeology for Jersey Heritage, explained: “We are not surprised at this achievement and are delighted that such an impressive archaeological item was discovered, examined and displayed in Jersey.
“Once again, it puts our island in the spotlight of international research of Iron Age coinage and demonstrates the world class heritage that Jersey has to offer.”
The hoard is thought to date from around 50BC and was discovered at a depth of just 3ft.
The previous largest coin hoard from Wiltshire was discovered in 1978 at the former Roman town of Cunetio, near to Mildenhall.
The largest hoard of coins ever found in the world was in Brussels in 1908, when 150,000 silver medieval pennies dating from the 13th century unearthed.
Mr Miles said he and Mr Mead had been involved in the process the whole way through and described receiving the Guinness World Record certificates as “lovely”.
The Roman and Celtic silver and gold coins were found under a hedge in a large mound of clay, weighing three quarters of a ton.
The hoard has been declared treasure as defined by the Treasure Act 1996, which means it officially belongs to the Queen, although the finders are entitled to a reward. Mr Mead has said that the least valuable coins in the hoard are likely to be worth £100 each, suggesting a valuation of several million pounds, without taking into account the precious jewellery also found in it.
However, there has been discussion over whether the price would come down because so many coins had been found, reducing their rarity.
Mr Mead and Mr Miles have said that they hoped the hoard would stay in Jersey, and ministers have discussed finding the cash to purchase it for the island.