Posted on 07/10/2010 5:45:29 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
Considering how thrilled I was just to find this story, I can only imagine the delirious, all-consuming excitement felt by Dave Crisp, a British hospital chef, when his metal detector uncovered this pot of 52,000 Roman coins.
Crisp was lolling with his detector in a field in southwestern England when he made the discovery, eventually unearthing some 50,000 silver and bronze coins dating from 253 to 293 AD. Over 700 of them bear the face of Marcus Aurelius Carausius, a Roman general who ruled Britain and was the first to make coins in the region.
Crisp, a self-described "metal detectorist," explained that he would have to share the coins' estimated $1 million value with the farmer who owns the land on which they were buried. Still, I imagine that the prospect of a $500,000 payday will be enough to inspire a whole new generation of detectorists. [CNN]
Send an email to Kyle VanHemert, the author of this post, at kvanhemert@gizmodo.com.
Under the 1996 Treasure Act, anyone who finds a group of buried coins has to declare it to the coroner within two weeks. If the coins are bought, as planned, by the Museum of Somerset, the reward will shared between Mr Crisp and the landowner.
The Secretary of State determines market value.
"Hey old man, I think someone found those coins you lost..."
Why not? Tell them you found 5,000 coins and see how it goes. Later on you might "get lucky" and find more (of your now hidden hoard).
Is it “Chumley” or “Cholmondeley”?
this seems very staged indeed. Next they will dig up the russel crowe
Yeah, but don’t tell Karl Denninger or any of the monetarists.
They’ll turn purple and call you names. Because that linen has so much more “potential,” if only the right people were running it (sound familiar?).
In the UK ALL archeological finds are IMMEDIATELY turned over to the authorities for disposition. If he wanted to sell these he would have had to do this.
Cause it's like Antiques Roadshow with silliness, haggling and petty insults thrown in to make it even better.
Looking those up they are worth between $50 to $100 retail.
The Bits do pay finders for what they find but they do take the treasure after payment, probably don’t pay what the treasure is actually worth but 500,000 is better than nothing at all.
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Thanks Outlaw Woman. Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. |
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