COIN HOARD

Circumstances of Discovery: Three gold coins were found on arable land in Warwickshire on 27 March 2011. They were found on the same site as a hoard of eleven Iron Age gold coins discovered in 1994. The reasons for considering the present finds addenda to the earlier hoard are discussed below.

Description: The present find comprises three Iron Age gold coins; two are North Eastern inscribed staters of VEP CORF and the third is a small fragment of similar type. VEP CORF staters were struck in the Lincolnshire/Leicestershire area in about AD 30-50. Coins from this region are generally attributed to the Corieltavi, who are known to have inhabited this area during the Roman period (and perhaps before). North Eastern coins are occasionally found as far south-west as Warwickshire. The coins can be summarised as:

1. VEP CORF stater, ABC 1851 / VA 905 / BMC 3274

Diameter: 21.4mm; weight: 5.33. Registered as CCI 11.1011

1. VEP CORF stater, ABC 1854 / VA 960 / BMC 3302

Diameter: 19.9mm; weight: 5.24. Registered as CCI 11.1012

1. Fragment of a VEP CORF stater, ABC 1854 / VA 960 / BMC 3302.

Weight: 0.79 (fragment). Registered as CCI 11.1013

CCI = Celtic Coin Index, Oxford University and the British Museum

ABC = Cottam et al, Ancient British Coinage, Aylsham (2010)

VA = Van Arsdell, Celtic Coinage of Britain, London (1989)

BMC Hobbs, British Iron Age Coinage in the British Museum, London (1996)

Discussion:The above coins are clearly more than 300 years old and are struck from metal alloys (comprising gold, silver and copper) with a precious metal component well above the 10% threshold stipulated by the Treasure Act. The reported circumstances of discovery, and the type and date of the coins, leave little doubt that they should be considered as a single hoard or deposit. Furthermore, the above coins should be considered as addenda to an earlier find of Iron Age coins from Bedworth. A group of eleven Iron Age gold staters was discovered in 1994. Four of these coins and a fragmentary fifth coin were VEP CORF staters similar to the types listed above. The remaining six coins were earlier uninscribed coins belonging to the same regional coinage tradition. All eleven coins were acquired by Warwickshire Museum Service. Having obtained a high resolution image of the fragmentary coin, which formed part of the 1994 hoard, it is clear that it is part of the same coin as the fragment (3) listed above. The two images have been joined together in Photoshop (see image to the right). This join proves beyond any doubt that the current finds are part of the original 1994 hoard.