Coin discovery from the period of the Norman Conquest becomes England’s most valuable find | heritage

It began with a speculative trip to a damp field in southwest England by a group of seven metal detectorists, whose aim was more to figure out how to use a new device than to unearth something of great historical significance.

But the friends came across an astonishing hoard of coins – 2,584 silver pennies – from the time of the Norman Conquest, which is worth £4.3 million, making it the most valuable treasure find of all time in England.

“It’s fantastic, unbelievable,” Adam Staples, one of the finders of the Chew Valley treasure, told the Guardian on Monday. He said it was hard to put into words the emotions as one coin after another appeared.

“It was a feeling of wonder. It was great to find a coin. Then within a few minutes a few more, then 10 coins, 50 coins. It kept increasing. And your emotions just multiply. It definitely changed my life. It was like having history in your hands. And of course the financial side is brilliant too.”

The property owner, who is not named, receives half of the proceeds and the seven finders share their share equally. “We have all agreed to share it and we are all happy with the arrangement,” said Staples, who is from Derby and runs an auction house specializing in ancient coins.

On Tuesday, the South West Heritage Trust charity announced it had acquired the coins for the country thanks to significant funding, including from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Art Fund.

From November 26, the treasure will go on display at the British Museum in London and will then be shown across the UK, including in Bath, not far from the site, before finding a permanent home at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton.

The South West Heritage Trust described the treasure as one of the most remarkable ever found. It was said to date from a turning point in English history, a period of transition from Saxon to Norman rule shortly after the Battle of Hastings, and was probably deposited for safekeeping during the rebellions in the southwest against William I.

Almost half of the coins depict Harold II, the last crowned Saxon king of England, while just over half depict William I. The hoard contains twice as many of Harold II’s coins as have never been found before, increasing nearly five times the number of known William I coins issued in the two years following his coronation in 1066.

Around 100 mints – the people responsible for producing the coins – are represented from 46 mints including Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Hastings, Ipswich, London and York. Harold II’s coins come primarily from mints in the southeast of England, possibly indicating financial preparation for the Norman invasion.

Staples, his then-partner Lisa Grace, an antiquities cataloging expert, and his Staffordshire bull terrier, Titan, were in the Somerset field because some friends had asked him to show them how to use a new detector. He told them, “We’ll make a weekend of it. Drink a few beers and go exploring.

The first coin to appear on that stormy day in January 2019 was a William I penny. Staples described it as beautiful, with lovely shades of blue. He started looking in the same place and quickly found another coin.

Her friends came over and the machines kept beeping. They collected the coins in a bucket provided by the landowner and in Staples’ waterproof coat. He got soaked, but he didn’t mind.

At the end of the day they had found about 2,400 coins. They went to the pub and kept an eye on the car with a fortune while they celebrated. The following week they took the coins to the British Museum.

The value of the find even exceeds that of the Staffordshire Treasure, a collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork worth £3.3 million.

Under the Treasure Act 1996, which applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, finders of “treasure” are entitled to a reward funded by a museum that wishes to acquire the treasure.

Staples believes that the Chew Valley Treasure may be linked to the story of the unsuccessful rebellion of King Harold’s sons against William I and the attack on Bristol. “The treasure could have been the result of looting or perhaps the result of someone hiding their money because of the revolt.”

He’s still looking for treasure. “I was outside yesterday. I actually found a small bronze Viking belt fitting from around 1100 AD. I’m still just as excited.”