From the category archives:

Coin Treasures

Around midday on Saturday 16 December 2006 two metal detectorists strolled onto a field near Buckingham and within a few minutes picked up a valuable gold coin that was lying on the surface.

By the end of the weekend 42 had been found. By 11 March this year a total of 70 iron age gold staters, mostly minted by the local Catuvellauni tribe over 2,000 years ago, had been harvested from ...

Full Article: Buckingham gold hoard - CoinsWeekly.com

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More than 250 silver coins dating back to the time of Alexander the Great were unearthed in northern Syria, a Syrian archaeologist said Thursday.

Youssef Kanjo, the head of archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Aleppo, said the coins were discovered two weeks ago in ...

Full Article: Coins From Alexander the Great Found in Syria - The New York Times

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A 27-item strong hoard of gold coins has been unearthed in the Thoothukudi district of southern India, it has been revealed.

Local women discovered the gold pieces in a mud pot when they were farming a field in the village of Vilathikulam Taluk, Express Buzz reports ...

Full Article: Hoard of gold coins unearthed in southern India - Gold.org

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When treasure hunter Mel Fisher discovered the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de Atocha off the Florida Keys in 1985, he brought to close a mystery that was nearly 400 years old.

On the Atocha, Fisher recovered $450 million worth of gold, silver and emeralds that had been lost since 1622, when the Spanish galleon was laid to waste by a powerful hurricane. Now some of that legendary booty will call Cape Coral home when it's unveiled at ...

Full Article: Rare coins to be displayed in Cape Coral - CAPE-CORAL-DAILY-BREEZE.COM

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Odyssey Marine Exploration, Inc. (NasdaqCM: OMEX), has received notification from the U.S. District Judge that he has adopted the Magistrate's Report and Recommendation in the "Black Swan" case in favor of Spain. Although the Judge complimented Magistrate Pizzo's Report and Recommendation, he also made it clear that he felt a separate opinion by him would "add only length and neither depth nor clarity (and certainly not finality) to this dispute."

The Judge also stayed the order vacating the arrest warrant and the return of the recovered coins to Spain until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit rules in the case, which serves to keep the coins in Odyssey's possession pending the outcome of the case.

"Judge Merryday's ruling serves to move this case to the appellate court faster, where we feel confident that the legal issues are clearly in our favor. The ruling yesterday does not affect the current operations of Odyssey, and we have not been counting on any revenue from the "Black Swan" in any of our budgets since it was clear that this case would go to appeal no matter which way the judge ruled," said Greg Stemm, Odyssey CEO.

"We are moving ahead with our other current projects – and it is important for people to understand that the vast majority of our shipwreck projects don't have the same potential legal issues that have surfaced in the "Black Swan" case. [click to continue…]

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Clearing a field and plowing it for the first time is hard, backbreaking work. That is what Oliver Hall was doing in 1909 when fortune shined on him.

Oliver Hall heard something tinkle against his plow blade. When he looked back, the furrow he had just plowed was filled with silver coins.

"That was the story my daddy always told," said Neil Hall of Landersville. "He found a broken bottle with silver and gold coins spilling out of it." ...

Full Article: Who buried the Pieces of Eight? - The Moulton Advertiser

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Precious artefacts given to a former Archbishop of Canterbury have been found apparently thrown into the River Wear at Durham. Individual items, including gifts from Pope Paul VI and other religious leaders, could be worth up to £10,000. The former Bishop of Durham Michael Ramsey lived in the city after retiring as Archbishop in 1974. He died in 1988 ...

Full Article: Bishop's coins and artifacts discovered in river - BBC News

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Using a mathematical model to predict population trends based on ancient coin hoards, a UConn biologist and a Stanford University historian have concluded that the population of ancient Rome was smaller than sometimes suggested.

Although the first century BC in Italy has been extensively studied, and much is known about the great figures of the era, including Cicero, Caesar, Virgil, and Horace, some basic facts – such as the approximate population size of the late Roman Republic – remain the subject of intense debate ...

Full Article: Coins May Hold Key To Solving Mystery Of Ancient Roman Population - ScienceDaily

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Archeologists have discovered ancient Egyptian coins bearing the name and image of the biblical Joseph, Cairo's Al Ahram newspaper recently reported. Excerpts provided by MEMRI show that the coins were discovered among a multitude of unsorted artifacts stored at the Museum of Egypt.

According to the report, the significance of the find is that archeologists have found scientific evidence countering the claim held by some historians that coins were not used for trade in ancient Egypt, and that ...

Full Article: 'Joseph-era' coins found in Egypt - mideast.jpost.com

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Largest-ever Collection Of Coins From Period Of Revolt Against Romans Found

September 10, 2009

The largest cache of rare coins ever found in a scientific excavation from the period of the Bar-Kokhba revolt of the Jews against the Romans has been discovered in a cave by researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University.
The coins were discovered in three batches in a deep cavern located in a [...]

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Massive Ancient Chinese Coin Hoard Unearthed

August 19, 2009

Have you ever given much thought as to how ancient coins got to that dealer from whom you plan to buy them? Don’t assume that the coins must have previously been in a collection that has since been liquidated. If this were always true, we could likely trace the pedigree on most ancient coins to [...]

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Iron Age Coin Find Ruled Treasure Trove

August 17, 2009

The largest find of Iron Age coins in Great Britain discovered in the past 160 years has been declared treasure trove at a coroner’s inquest in Suffolk, England.
The find consists of 840 gold staters discovered in a field near Wickham Market, Suffolk, in March 2008. The initial discovery was made by Michael Dark with a [...]

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How 6 people accidentally found a fortune

August 15, 2009

We’ve all been there: a week until payday, the rent is due, and you’re rummaging in your parents’ attic to find Dad’s Mickey Mantle rookie card.
If you’re in need of some quick cash, here are six stories of people who found a fortune when — and where — they least expected it…
Full Article: How 6 [...]

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Divers seek more coins, artifacts from Spanish galleon sunk off Jupiter

July 27, 2009

When Mona Bauer went swimming Sunday, a 90-foot long barge floating on three legs about 400 feet offshore had her a little concerned.
“I don’t know what it is,” said the Jupiter resident, who swims often at the beach just south of the Jupiter Inlet. “It’s out there too far to see any identification. I’m a [...]

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Oldest coin unearthed locally

July 24, 2009

A THATCHAM metal detectorist has discovered the UK’s oldest Roman coin in West Berkshire. Malcolm Langford, aged 65, spends much of his spare time roaming around West Berkshire looking for precious metals.
But the retired electrician did not expect that his most recent find, a Silver Roman coin, would date back to 207 BC – making [...]

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