Couple finds treasure worth Dh22 million by using metal detector

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Couple, Dh22million, metal-detecting couple, ancient coins, 1,000 years

The landowner will also be entitled to 50 per cent of the proceeds.

By Web Report

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Published: Mon 26 Aug 2019, 4:40 PM

Last updated: Mon 26 Aug 2019, 8:49 PM

A metal-detecting couple unearthed almost 2,600 ancient coins that date back 1,000 years, making it one of Britain's biggest treasure hoards believed to be worth around £5 million (Dh22.4 million).
Adam Staples and partner Lisa Grace unearthed the 'once in a lifetime' find - almost 2,600 ancient coins that date back 1,000 years. The couple stumbled upon the treasure while searching with their metal detectors on a farm in the north east Somerset area in January.
According to reports in the Daily Mail, the 2,571 silver coins are made up of King Harold II pennies from the end of Anglo-Saxon England and William the Conqueror coins, after the 1066 Norman conquest. Besides, as King Harold's reign lasted only nine months, before he was famously struck in the eye by an arrow at the Battle of Hastings, these coins are extremely rare and could be valued anywhere between £1,000 and £5,000 each.
The couple's discovery is smaller than the famous Staffordshire Hoard which is the biggest collection of buried coins and artefacts discovered in Britain, it is still believed to be at least £1million more valuable. Experts believe the coins belonged to an important, wealthy person who probably buried them for safekeeping.
After notifying both the county's local finds liaison officer, the couple has given the coins to the British Museum in London to evaluate. The coins will be unveiled to the public for the first time and if declared a treasure, the museum will compensate the couple with the monetary value of the coins. The landowner will also be entitled to 50 per cent of the proceeds.


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