Rare ‘Pewsey Hoard’ unearthed on camping trip sells for £100k
AHOARD of Roman silver coins discovered by metaldetectorists six feet from their tent on a camping trip has sold for £100,000.
The coins, dubbed the Pewsey Hoard and unearthed over two days in September 2020, were expected to fetch about £40,000.
The amazing find of more than 160 silver coins was found by veteran detectorists Mick Rae, 63, a herds manager, computer shop owner Robert Abbott, 53, and carpenter Dave Allen, 59.
They ended up taking the 161 coins, comprising silver siliqua and miliarense dating from 340 AD to 402 AD, home in a washing up bowl.
And it emerged that just weeks before, they had camped in the same place right on top of where they made their discovery.
The trio, who have more than 90 years’ detecting experience between them, made their historic find on a camping weekend in Wiltshire.
The collection sold for £81,160 but with the buyer’s premium, the bidder paid £100,000.
Mr Abbott, who lives in Essex, explained that the rare discovery occurred over two days just after the first Covid lockdown ended.
He said: “Having finished breakfast first, I turned on my machine, a Minelab Equinox 800, and having walked around six paces from the tent, I found several tent pegs and just under the surface a late Roman silver siliqua in pristine condition.
“A few moments later beside it, I found another one.”
Robert’s find prompted Mick, from Wiltshire, and Dave, from Essex, to eagerly grab their detectors and join in the search
Robert added: “Ironically, we had been camping there two weeks previous for a week-long detecting outing.
“What we hadn’t realised is we’d actually camped right on top of the area where the coins were found.”
The money will be shared with the landowner but Robert said he would be spending some of his cash on a new camera and Mick was going to invest it in his new micro dairy.
The best-selling item was a fourthcentury Valens coin showing the emperor holding a shield which fetched a hammer price of £4,200.
And a rare example from the reign of Constantius II went for £4,000.
The British Museum has studied the coins and is keeping two for its collection.
Nigel Mills, of Noonans, says all of the coins are in mint condition and have not needed a clean since their discovery.
He said: “The sale was really well supported and made double its high estimate – it was amazing. We had buyers from the USA, Germany, Malaysia and the UK, and everyone is very happy with the outcome. It just shows what can be achieved if you do all the right things.”
He added: “The hoard was buried at a time when Roman rule in Britain under the Emperor Honorius was no longer viable with the army being recalled to protect other provinces.
In AD 410 Britain was told to protect itself by Honorius. As a result Britain has become a treasure island of late fourth century and early fifth century gold and silver Roman coin and jewellery hoards as the local population buried their valuables and then fell victim to Saxon raids.”
Coin and medal specialist Noonans held the auction at their saleroom in Mayfair, central London.