COIN HOARD

Circumstances of discovery
On 22nd October 2011 a single gold coin was discovered by metal detector users near Chawton in Hampshire. A further 104 gold coins were discovered on the same spot between 10th December 2011 and 7th January 2012. The coins were reported to Rob Webley, Hampshire FLO, and delivered to the British Museum on 8th March 2012. A silver plated denarius and a copper alloy arrowhead, both found in the vicinity of the coins, were also reported.

Description
All (105) of the gold coins are of Iron Age date and of types produced between about AD 10 and 45. The vast majority (98) are coins struck for Verica, a local king with a powerbase in central-southern England (Hampshire and surrounding counties). One coin was struck by Verica's contemporary, Cunobelin, who ruled a territory covering much of eastern England and Kent. The remaining six coins were struck in the name of Epaticcus, who is usually identified as a brother of Cunobelin. He issued coins in the Berkshire-Hampshire-Wiltshire area, in about AD 30-45. The coins are listed individually in Appendix 1.

The two objects reported with the gold coins comprised a Roman silver plated denarius (ancient forgery) of Vitellius (AD 69) and a small arrowhead that appears to be of late Bronze Age to late Iron Age date.

The coin has lost much of the silver surface covering, leaving an exposed copper alloy core. As an ancient imitation, rather than a regular issue, it is not entirely surprising that there is no direct prototype for this coin. Details of this coin are provided at the end of Appendix 1.

The arrowhead was originally identified as a miniature spearhead of middle/late Bronze Age to late Iron Age date. Miniature weapons have been recorded at a number of ritual sites in Britain. They sometimes appear to have been deliberately curated and re-deposited in late Iron Age contexts. Although the present object is similar in form to these miniature spearheads, it is considerably smaller than previous examples (just 32mm in length). It was shown to Julia Farley, Curator of Iron Age Collections at the British Museum, who has suggested that it is more likely to be an arrowhead or other small projectile point, again of late Bronze Age to late Iron Age date.

Discussion
The 105 Iron Age gold coins easily satisfy the terms of the Treasure Act with regard to their age and metal content (comprising well in excess of the 10% precious metal threshold). The type, number, and reported circumstances of discovery, all leave no doubt that the coins were deposited together as a single group in antiquity.

The ancient imitation of a denarius of Vitellius was made at least twenty-five years after the latest Iron Age coin and is unlikely to have been part of the same hoard.

Although the arrowhead could have been deposited with the coins, there is no evidence to support this hypothesis at present. As such it should probably be considered as an isolated find. Future discoveries or archaeological fieldwork may shed new light on the question of whether these finds are related.

Conclusion
I would conclude that the 105 Iron Age gold coins should be regarded as a prima facie case of treasure under the terms of the Treasure Act (1996). On the balance of probability, the plated Roman coin and the arrowhead are not associated with the Iron Age coin hoard.

Dr Ian Leins
Curator of Iron Age and Roman Coins
British Museum
(Information on arrowhead by Dr Julia Farley)