Old bottle caps and rusty nails aren’t the only things metal detectors can find. Sometimes amateur treasure hunters earn large sums of money. Such is the case with the Killingholme Treasure, a collection of more than 4,000 Roman coins minted nearly 1,700 years ago by the Roman Empire.
The finders were lucky enough to find the treasure before the Treasure Act was enacted, meaning they could sell their coins at auction and make themselves a decent profit.
The Killingholme Hoard was discovered in Killingholme, a village located in the English county of Lincolnshire, in 1993. The coins were recorded by the British Museum, and most of them were later sold by Spink at auction. . Today, a small number of them are still found in private auction houses.
A coin from the Killingholme Treasure depicting Constantine II. (Monster Coin)
Discover the treasures of Killingholme
In the autumn of 1993, a pair of metal detectorists discovered the Killingholme Treasure. This treasure was found in a large field between Killingholme and Habrough, although its exact location has not been revealed. According to one of the finders, the original coins of the treasure were found on the surface and many of them were found before the treasure was excavated.
In total, 1,504 coins were found in the topsoil and another 2,753 coins were buried in a pot. The finder said the top of the vase had been cut off by a plowshare, causing a large number of coins scattered across the field. However, the remains of the pot were found when a metal detector discovered the amount of coins packed in it. The vase was about 20 centimeters (7.87 inches) in diameter and contained thousands of coins.
The finder also noticed that the coins were carefully arranged inside the vase, seemingly creating a spiral pattern. Unfortunately, the coins were then dumped into the bathtub for cleaning, causing the image to be lost forever.
A Roman coin hoard. (Antiquities relocation plan/Trustees of the British Museum/ CC BY SA 2.0 )
Constantine bronze coin
Regarding the coins that make up the Killingholme Treasure, these are coins minted in bronze, most of which were minted between the 320s and the early 330s, that is, during the time of the Constantinian Dynasty. These coins were minted in several mints in the western part of the Roman Empire, although most of them came from the London mint. Regarding the hoarding of treasure, it is speculated that this occurred around 333/334 AD.
A coin depicting Constantine I from the Killingholme hoard. (Monster Coin)
Following the discovery of the Killingholme Treasure, the coins will be auctioned by Spink. Fortunately, the auctioneers allowed Jonathan Williams, curator of the Iron Age and Pre-Roman period at the British Museum, to record the coins in batches. Once the recording was complete, most of the coins were auctioned off, although the finders kept a few representative samples. It is rumored that many of the coins were sold to the Italian jewelry and luxury goods manufacturer, Bulgari, and used in the jewelry trade.
It could have been different
Such a process would not have been possible after the 1996 Treasure Act was enacted. Under this Act of Parliament, those who find ‘treasure’ are legally required to report their findings to the local coroner within 14 days. The Killingholme Treasure should have been considered ‘treasure’ because it met the criteria set out in the Treasure Act 1996:
“In case many coins are discovered with less than 10% gold or silver content, there must be at least 10 such coins; They also need to be at least 300 years old.”
A Crispus coin from the Killingholme hoard. (Monster Coin)
Once declared a ‘treasure’, the coroner will notify relevant parties, such as national and local museums, finders, landowners, etc. A treasure valuation committee may be convened to determine the value of the treasure if the museum so desires. to buy it. Only if the museum is not interested in purchasing the ‘treasure’ or is unable to do so can the finder keep it and do with it as he pleases.
