An amateur treasure hunter armed with merely a metal detector has discovered Roman coins worth more than $1 million according to the latest reports from the British Museum.The find has been called the biggest ever horde of coins found in the UK with 52,500 Roman coins of varying denominations. The total weight of the coins is reportedly 160 kg.Dave Crisp is a hospital chef who was out with a metal detector in a field near Frome in Somerset. He said that he had no idea about the size of the hoard that he had discovered.
As soon as expert archaeologists arrived at the scene he realized the magnitude of the discovery. The Hoard of coins was transferred to the British Museum in London. The coins were then cleaned and recorded and then the exact value of the discovery was estimated. The coins were dated from AD 253 to AD 293 and most of them are made of silver and bronze. The coins were discovered in a ceramic pot about 50 cm in diameter.
According to the spokesperson in charge of the find in Somerset, Anna Booth, the discovery is a special story because David Crisp himself called the authorities once he discovered the coins. He has also provided as much assistance as possible with the excavation.
He has also camped one night on the location with his grandson to protect the coins. Anna Booth said that it is too difficult to confirm the value of the coins because there are too many variables involved like the condition of the coins and the rare coins in the collection.
