COIN HOARD

A scattered hoard of Late Roman silver coins; siliqua, consisting of:
2012 T196a (SWYOR-740718): 27 coins (of which 1 has broken into two piece post deposition, and some are fragmentary) recovered by two joint finders.
2012 T196b (SWYOR-5C72E1): 3 coins found by a third finder (of which one is a rare Jovian issue from the Lyon mint, one is fragmentary, and one is a large copper alloy coin).
2012 T196c (SWYOR-3C0EF4): 13 further coins recovered by the original two finders.

Some of the coins are clearly contemporary copies.

British Museum Curatorial Report:

Nr. WETHERBY, N. YORKSHIRE

Eleanor Ghey

38 AR siliquae and 2 AE nummi to c. AD378-402 BM ref.: 2012 T196 PAS: SWYOR-740718, 5C72E1 and 3C0EF4

Circumstances of discovery

A group of 27 silver coins were found by [finder 1] and [finder 2] on 13th March 2012 whilst metal-detecting on cultivated land. They were found in the topsoil at a depth of about 2 feet, scattered in an area of about 8 square yards. A spring and large rocks were reported from the area of the findspot. Three further coins were found on 25th and 27th March at the same site by [finder 3]. These consisted of two silver coins about six feet apart and a copper alloy coin about 20 yards or less from the main findspot. One of the coins was fragmentary and actually joins to a fragment found in the first group. A further 13 coins were found by [finder 1] and [finder 2] in the month following the initial discovery. Another two fragments from the first group were found to join with two fragments from this third group (giving a total of 40 coins). All coins were received at the British Museum on 11th May 2012.

Description of the find

With the exception of one highly clipped coin (probably VIRTVS ROMANORVM 'cuirass' type, second issue) the siliquae date from AD 355 to 378. The relative lack of clipping fits the pattern of a hoard of this date. However the presence of the above mentioned coin makes it difficult to date the deposition of the hoard precisely. It appears to be of a slightly later type (AD 395-402) and could have been deposited well into the fifth century after a long period of circulation. The difference in the degree of clipping of this coin and the others in the group suggests that they were deposited some time before this. It may therefore be that this later coin is a stray find and not part of the main hoard.

In addition to the silver coins, there are two nummi, one of small module contemporary with the hoard and another of larger module slightly earlier than the group. Mixed hoards of nummi and siliquae are not unknown (for example the Bishops Cannings hoard, which had a large proportion of bronze, and Hoxne, which contained a few smaller module bronze coins mixed in with the siliquae). It is therefore not inconceivable that the larger module bronze coin was also either part of the hoard or associated with the same pattern of deposition at this site. The fact that the hoard was found near a spring points to a votive or ritual context for this deposition.

The hoard contained one notable siliqua of a type not listed in RIC (although previously recorded through PAS, see note below). This was the Jovian coin of the Lyon mint with the obverse legend DN IOVIANV-S PEP AVG.

CATALOGUE

Notes

The following abbreviations are used for the names of the rulers:

Cs Constantius II G Gratian

Cn Constans V2 Valentinian II

JC/A Julian Caesar / Augustus Jv Jovian

V1 Valentinian I Vn Valens

Busts as RIC VIII & X:

1 no diadem

D Draped & cuirassed 3 pearl-diademed

4 rosette-diademed

CF1-4 = degrees of clipping evident

Summary: Siliquae

MINT

Trier

Lyon

Arles

Milan

Rome

Aqu.

Sisc.

Sirm.

Thess.

Const.

Nico.

Ant.

Unc.

Totala

355-64

-

6

8

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

16

364-7

-

6

1

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

2

10

367-75

6

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

6

375-378

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

395-402

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1

1

Irregular

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

4

4

Total

7

12

9

-

-

-

-

-

1

-

-

-

9

38

SILVER: SILIQUAE (38)

355-364, Lyons (6)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC VIII

Qty.

Wt.

CF

1.

Cs/D3

VICTORIA DD NN AVG

LVG

-

210

1

1.99

1

2.

JA/D4

VICTORIA DD NN AVG

LVG

-

213

1

2.07

0

3.

Cs/D3

VOTIS XXX MVLTIS XXXX

LVG

139

216

1

1.95

1

4.

JA/D3

VOTIS V MVLTIS X

PLVG

145

227

1

1.52

0[1]

5.

JA/D3

VOT X MVLT XX

SLVG

151

233

1

1.57

0

6.

Jv/D3

VOT V MVLT X

LVG

-

-

1

1.23

0[2]

355-364, Arles (8)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC VIII

Qty.

Wt.

CF

7.

Cs/D3

VOTIS XXX MVLTIS XXXX

PCON

83

261/291

2

1.78, 1.77

0, 0

8.

Cs/D3

VOTIS XXX MVLTIS XXXX

SCON

84

261/291

3

1.76, 2.41, 1.99

1, 0, 1

9.

JC/D1

VOTIS V MVLTIS X

TCON

91

264

1

2.25

0

10.

JA/D3

VOT X MVLT XX

TCONST

Cf 109

309/ 312

1

2.01

1

11.

JA/D3

VOT X MVLT XX

SCONST

120

312

1

1.89

1

355-364, Uncertain mint (2)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC VIII

Qty.

Wt.

CF

12.

JA/D3

VOT X MVLT XX

[...]

Cf 179/180

?

1

1.58

0[3]

13.

Jv/D3

VOT V MVLT X

[...]

?

?

1

0.86 + 0.70

2[4]

364-367, Lyons (6)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

CF

14.

V1/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

SLVG•

-

6c

1

2.01

1

15.

V1/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

PLVG

-

6e

1

1.70

1

16.

Vn/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

PLVG

-

6f

1

1.82

1

17.

Vn/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

PLVG•

-

6f

1

1.69

0

18.

Vn/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

SLVG•

-

6f

1

2.43

1

19.

Vn/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

[.]LV[G.]

-

6f

1

1.82

2

364-367, Arles (1)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

CF

20.

V1/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

OF III/CON[ST]

-

6a

1

1.71

0[5]

364-367, Thessalonica (1)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

CF

21.

V1/D3

RESTITVTOR REIP

TES

225

12a

1

1.92[6]

0

364-375, Uncertain mint (2)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

CF

22.

V1/Vn

[V]RBS ROM[A]

[...]

?

?

1

0.48 + 0.36

?[7]

23.

G/D3

VRBS [ROMA]

[...]

?

?

1

0.64 + 0.39

?[8]

367-375, Trier (6)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

CF

24.

Vn/D3

VRBS ROMA

TRPS

260

27e/ 45b

1

2.24

0

25.

G/D3

VRBS ROMA

TRPS•

275

27f/ 45c

2

1.98, 1.95

0, 0

26.

G/D3

VRBS ROMA

TRPS•

276

27f/ 45c

1

1.75

0

27.

G/D3

VRBS ROMA

TRPS•

277

27f/ 45c

2

2.06, 1.86

0, 1

375-378, Trier (1)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

CF

28.

V2/D3

VICTORIA AVGGG

[TR]PS

327

43/57a

1

1.22

3

?395-402, Mint uncertain (1)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Hoxne

RIC X

Qty.

Wt.

CF

29.

?/D3

[VIRTVS ROMANORVM] (cuirass)

[...]

?

?

1

0.64

4[9]

Irregular (4)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

Qty.

Wt.

CF

30.

DN CONST[AN]-TIVS P F AVG

VOT X MVLT XX

[...]

1

1.71

0[10]

31.

FL CL IVL[I-]ANVS P P AVG

VOTIS V MVLTIS XX

[..O]NST

1

1.00

?[11]

32.

NNNNNN[IIIIINII]

L / IIIIII / T

-

1

1.65

0

33.

DN FL CL IVLI-ANVS P F AVG

VOT X MVLT XX

PCONNS

1

1.80

1[12]

COPPER ALLOY NUMMI (2)

Lyon, AD 348-353 (1)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

RIC VIII

Qty.

Wt.

34.

Cs/D4

[FEL TEMP REPARATIO] (Fallen horseman)

[..LG]

Cf 79

1

3.82[13]

Arles, AD 367-375 (1)

No.

Obv

Reverse

M.-m.

RIC IX

Qty.

Wt.

35.

G/D3

[GLORIA NOVI SAEC]VLI (Emperor stg. r.)

[...]

15

1

0.67[14]

[1] Broken. Obverse die link with Hoxne 145,20. Possibly a forgery? XX in bottom of wreath.

[2] Obverse DN IOVIANV-S PEP AVG. Another previously recorded by PAS SUSS-F74487. One with this mintmark and obverse D N IOVIAN-VS P F AVG from Whitwell hoard in BM 1992,0904.2. Finder [Finder 3].

[3] Broken. Reverse concreted.

[4] Two joining fragments. 0.86 g fragment found in first group ([Finder 1] and [Finder 2]), 0.70g fragment in second group ([Finder 3]). Mintmark not clearly legible.

[5] Incomplete.

[6] In two joining fragments.

[7] Two joining fragments of an incomplete coin. Obverse D N VAL[...]

[8] Two joining fragments of an incomplete coin.

[9] Possibly Milan, second issue, dated AD 395-402.

[10] Broken. This legend not used for Constantius. Good style.

[11] Broken edges. Appears cast.

[12] Cf RIC 309. Double-struck?

[13] Finder [Finder 3]. Mintmark indistinct, requires further cleaning.

[14] Abraded and incomplete.