Amateur treasure hunter finds £1million hoard of 1,000-year-old Anglo Saxon coins - after a whip-round for petrol to get there Paul Coleman, 59, stumbled upon silver coins in dig in Buckinghamshire He was on dig with friends on December 21. Initially father-of-two wasn't going to go because he couldn't afford the gas. The vast hoard of 5,251 pieces is described as one of largest in British history. The finders could get a large reward if coins are declared treasure:
the unemployed father-of-two hit the jackpot when he dug up the pristine collection of more than 5,000 silver coins made in the reigns of Ethelred the Unready (978-1016) and Cnut (1016-1035). It is thought that the find could be connected to a mint established by Ethelred at nearby Buckingham and which remained active during the time of Cnut. The 5,251 - and a half - coins were in a lead-lined container buried two feet under ground. Only some have been properly cleaned but all have proved to be in excellent condition. [..] I saw a shiny disc and I knew instantly it was a coin. I bent down to pick it up and I could see lots of discs - one I identified as a Saxon coin. I couldn’t believe it.' The grandfather-of-four said he will share some of his fortune with his metal detector friends - a customary tradition with a big find - and has pledged to buy a new house for his wife Christine, 53. Mr Coleman, who owns a Southampton-based wedding cars business, has been metal detecting for four decades and will also split the proceeds with the landowner.
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