A researcher has found 12 medieval coins dating back to the 1300s while on a metal-detecting rally in Buckinghamshire. British Museum curator Barrie Cook said that there were only 12 known examples of these coins prior to their discovery in 2019.
The coins have been declared treasure by Buckinghamshire Coroner’s Court.
Dr Cook added: “They are rare coins and your eyes light up when see something rare, and there’s the whole background of the Black Death – it’s a very active decade, to put it mildly, with a lot of historical context to unpack.”
The coins, known as Hambleden nobles, were the third attempt by Edward III to introduce gold coins to England.
Dr Cook that “the mint people worked out” the right value disparity between gold and silver coins by the fourth attempt, and they were eventually introduced.
Seven detectorists were responsible for the discovery of the medieval coins – the pandemic delayed their identification.
Dr Cook added that, to begin with, he wasn’t sure if the coins were from two separate hoards.
He wondered whether the gold coins were from one hoard whole the silvers were from another, and “until I look at them in detail, I couldn’t make that judgement”, he said.
The expert added that he is now convinced the same “poor bloke or woman – it could have been a woman – put this very large sum of money in a hiding place and couldn’t go back to it, so probably died”.
During the time period in question, the Black Death had reached England. It killed a third of the country’s population.
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The hoard was deposited in two phases. First the silver coins, the latest of which was issued in the mid-1320s, and later the nobles were added.
Dr Cook said “people hid their money all the time as there were no banks” and the owner was probably local.
He added: “He might be an official running a manor or a priest, but he’s not super rich either as the super-rich didn’t bury their money.”
The hoard was worth about £6 – at the time, Kind Edward III had put the Hambleden’s tax assessment for the year at £5.
The hoard will now go to the Treasure Value Committee to determine its value.
