Unexpected discovery! A man watching fighting birds stumbled upon a fortune 1,300 ancient gold coins worth 845K buried on his land. Lifechanging moment!

Going to watch fighting birds, a lucky 50-year-old man ‘changed his life’ when he discovered a huge treasure trove of gold around 1,300 coins dating to around AD 40-50 were worth £845,000 on a deeply plowed plot of land running around the edge of a field.

The keen metal detectorist, who has not been named, spotted a glint of gold while looking at a buzzard in a recently ploughed field in eastern England.

Having rubbed off the mud to reveal a 2,000-year-old gold stater coin, he dashed home to pick up his metal detector and returned to carry on searching.

After several hours, and to his utter disbelief, he unearthed about 1,300 coins, all dating to circa 40-50AD.

Experts believe each coin could be worth up to £650, putting the value of the hoard at £845,000.

The lucky finder says he saw a ‘cascade’ of golden coins fall from an urn he unearthed from a recently-ploughed field in eastern England

It comfortably surpᴀsses the previous record Celtic hoard of 850 coins found at Wickham Market, Suffolk, by another detectorist in 2008.

The lucky finder is remaining anonymous but he is aged in his 50s and says the potential windfall would be ‘life-changing’ for him.

The groundsman told Treasure Hunting magazine: ‘Although I am a keen detectorist, that evening I was doing a bit of bird watching.

‘After watching a dogfight between a buzzard and a pair of magpies, I stared down and spotted something lying in a bit of the deep ploughed soil which ran around the edge of the field.

The birdwatcher, who is in his 50s, initially thought the first coin was an old washer, but quickly discovered it was a gold coin. Experts say each one is worth around £650, and he managed to uncover around 1,300

‘I bent down and picked up what I thought was an old washer, rubbed it and felt its thickness.

‘I saw the glint of gold and realised it was a beautiful Celtic gold stater, which made me sit down in sheer shock.

‘I then spotted the second coin 2ft away and rushed home to get my (detector).’

He returned and hovered the device over the same area and got a ‘really strong’ signal.

After digging down around 18ins, he recovered what looked to be a copper bangle, but was in fact the rim of what would have been a jug or urn that housed the coins.

He said: ‘Gently lifting it up a cascade of coins fell out, a vision which will remain with me for the rest of my life.

‘I had to sit down to get my breath back. I had only come out for a walk and found a Celtic hoard.’

At that moment a friendly dog walker using a public footpath next to the field shouted at to him in jest, ‘have you found gold yet?’

The finder said: ‘I thought, “if only you knew”.

Boudicca, or Boadicea, led a revolt against the Romans from 60-61AD. The haul of coins discovered in eastern England could have been a deposit from her war chest, it is thought

‘I came off the field with a spade, detector and two heavy swinging shopping bags praying the thin plastic handles would hold the weight.’

He carried the golden haul home in two supermarket carrier bags and notified his local coroner’s office – which deals with any treasure finds in Britain.

During the middle of the first century the Celtic warrior Boudicca was at war with the occupying Roman forces.

It is possible that the coins may have been a ‘deposit’ from her war chest for her eastern campaigns.

The hoard is currently going through the treasure process in accordance with the Treasure Act 1996.

A coroner will decide whether the finder must offer the items for sale to a museum for a set price or if he can keep it.

Any proceeds that he makes will have to be shared with the owner of he field.

Jules Evans-Hart, editor of Treasure Hunting magazine, said: ‘It is an amazing discovery.

‘So far between 950 and 1,300 coins seem to be the figures quoted as many were still in supermarket carrier bags.

‘The coins form a substantial if not enormous contribution to our academic numismatic knowledge and will undoubtedly be subject to much ᴀssessment over the coming years.

‘It is possible that they may form a deposit as a ‘war chest’ for Boudicca’s eastern campaigns.

‘The previous record was 850 and that was the Wickham Market Hoard found in 2008. At this stage it seems highly likely that the discovery might well knock that find off top spot. ‘

Related Posts

Stela of Akhenaten, Neferтιтi, and Daughters | New Kingdom | Dyn. XVIII | Tell el-Amarna | Limestone | Inv. No. ÄM 14145 at Neues Museum

Stela of Akhenaten, Neferтιтi, and Daughters | New Kingdom | Dyn. XVIII | Tell el-Amarna | Limestone | Inv. No. ÄM 14145 at Neues Museum This stela…

The Archaeological Site of Al-hegra (Madain Salih) is the first World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia. Formerly known as Hegra it is the largest conserved site of the civilization of the Nabataeans south of Petra in Jordan. It features well-preserved monumental tombs with decorated facades dating from the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. The site also features some 50 inscriptions of the pre-Nabataean period and some cave drawings. Al-Hijr bears a unique testimony to Nabataean civilization. With its 111 monumental tombs, 94 of which are decorated, and water wells, the site is an outstanding example of the Nabataeans’ architectural accomplishment and hydraulic expertise.

The Archaeological Site of Al-hegra (Madain Salih) is the first World Heritage property to be inscribed in Saudi Arabia. Formerly known as Hegra it is the largest…

The ‘Golden Throne’ of Tutankhamun, a unique work of art. The luxurious armchair is distinguished by the complexity of its technique and an abundance of details. Its colors have not faded over three thousand years, which serves as a testament to the high skill of the ancient Egyptian craftsmen.

The royal throne is made of wood, covered with gold and silver. It is ornamented with semi-precious stones and colored glᴀss. Two projecting lions’ heads protect the…

Queen Neferтιтi: The Enigmatic Beauty and Power Behind Egypt’s Throne

Queen Neferтιтi: The Enigmatic Beauty and Power Behind Egypt’s Throne Neferтιтi, one of ancient Egypt’s most iconic queens, reigned alongside Pharaoh Akhenaten during the 18th Dynasty (circa…

Archaeologist’s wonder: surprising discovery of ancient corpses from Guanajuato in excavated tombs

Guanajuato’s Ancient Corpses: A Tomb’s Unexpected Residents In a fascinating archaeological discovery in Guanajuato, Mexico, researchers have unearthed an extraordinary burial site containing the remains of ancient…

Tutankhamun’s Tomb – a tomb (marked KV62) which is the resting place of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh from the 18th dynasty who reigned in ancient Egypt in the years 1333-1323 B.C.

Tutankhamun’s Tomb – a tomb (marked KV62) which is the resting place of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh from the 18th dynasty who reigned in ancient Egypt in the…