Birdwatcher discovers $1M worth of ancient
Celtic gold coinsBy Hannah SparksDecember 24, 2020 2:04pm Updated
Christmas came in September for one British birder who stumbled upon a million-dollar cache of ancient
Celtic coins while tracking a “dogfight” in the English countryside.
The gold medallions — almost mistaken for an old machinery
part — date back over 2,000 years to the age when the fierce
Celtic queen Boudicca was at war with
Rome, according to appraisers, who estimate the prize to be worth £845,000, or about $1,144,000.
It’s a “life-changing” sum for the lucky finder, reportedly in
his 50s, who chose to remain anonymous in a recent interview with Treasure Hunting magazine.
“That evening I was doing a
bit of bird-watching,” he said. “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.”
He nearly passed it, thinking the metal chip was an old washer. Then he “rubbed it and felt its thickness.”
“I saw the glint of gold and realized it was a beautiful
Celtic gold
stater, which made me sit down in sheer shock,” he said. “I then spotted the second coin two feet away and rushed
home to get my [metal detector].” It gave him a “really strong” signal that more was just below the surface.
https://nypost.com/2020/12/24/birdwatcher-discovers-1m-worth-of-ancient-celtic-gold-coins/The
man said he prayed
his two
shopping bags stuffed with 1,300
gold coins — each worth up to $880 — would hold up on the walk
home. He then notified the local coroner’s office, which oversees protocol in accordance with the UK’s Treasure
Act of 1996, including the decision of who gets to keep the coinage: the finder, the landowner or a local museum.
Treasure Hunting’s editor Julian Evans-Hart said in a statement, “The coins form a substantial if not enormous contribution to our academic numismatic knowledge and will undoubtedly be subject to much assessment over the coming year.”
“It is possible that they may form a deposit as a ‘war chest’ for Boudicca’s eastern campaigns,” continued.
