One man’s dreams came true this week when he found a hoard of 2,000-year-old Roman silver coins in Dorset. Fisherman and amateur historian Mike Smale was hunting for treasure with friends from the Southern Detectorists club when he found the coins worth £200,000.
The 600 rare Denarii were in a field in Bridport, so Mike and the farmer will legally split the money. Mike, from Plymouth, Devon, said: ‘It’s a great find, my biggest one, but I shan’t be giving metal detecting up, it’s great fun and I’m sticking with it.’ Some of the coins are extremely rare as they were minted in Roman general Mark Anthony’s short-lived reign when he was allied with Cleopatra, and can be worth up to £900 each.
Sean MacDonaldm, aged 47, organised the metal detecting hunt. He said: ‘Bridport is a cracking area anyway, it’s very rich in history, but a find like this is unprecedented. I was elated and shaking because this is a once in a lifetime find. ‘I’ve never seen a hoard of this size before.
We found one in Somerset last year but there were just 180, and they weren’t of the same calibre.’ He added: ‘The archaeologists excavating it couldn’t believe what they were seeing because these coins are so rare.
We found one in Somerset last year but there were just 180, and they weren’t of the same calibre.’ He added: ‘The archaeologists excavating it couldn’t believe what they were seeing because these coins are so rare.
I personally think a find of this size and variety will never be found again.’ Coin expert Dominic Chorney said: ‘Coin finds such as this are fascinating, and are incredibly important in shedding light on the history of Roman Britain. ‘Republican coins and those of Antony were issued before the Roman Invasion of Britain in AD 43, and would have drifted over in the pockets of Roman soldiers and citizens alike.’ Metal detecting has become more popular after the BBC sitcom Detectorists first aired in 2014, which featured Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones quest for treasure in Essex.
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