22,000 Roman 4th C. coins found

[Mackaydon]

AOL.com Article - Man sleeps in car for 3 days protecting 'remarkable' treasure
Don.....

 

[Garrett424]

Incredible find.

BUT, I don't believe I would have called anyone like he did. Maybe after I cleaned the place out over time I would have left a few for the "authorities" to maybe discover on their own or even anonymously but that's about it.
I can't understand why so many people feel the need to get government agencies involved. They'll take as much as they possibly can EVERY time.

They get enough already imo.
Where they're concerned, "finders keepers" is a good rule of thumb; not to mention, "mum's the word".

 

[BVI Hunter]

I got all excited when I saw this in TODAYS FINDS - I thought the guy himself had joined TNet!

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/treasure-news/434017-builder-finds-22-000-roman-coins.html

 

[Dirtwisher]

That would probably make banner. No guarantees though. Tough to predict what will and what won't. ;-)

 

[BVI Hunter]

Incredible find.

BUT, I don't believe I would have called anyone like he did. Maybe after I cleaned the place out over time I would have left a few for the "authorities" to maybe discover on their own or even anonymously but that's about it.
I can't understand why so many people feel the need to get government agencies involved. They'll take as much as they possibly can EVERY time.

They get enough already imo.
Where they're concerned, "finders keepers" is a good rule of thumb; not to mention, "mum's the word".

In the UK, we have TREASURE TROVE, where it more than likely you will end up with the market value anyway.

A recent thread here told of a guy "stealing" a gold roman coin thru night hawking -
he was not caught in the act, but the police raided his house after a tip off that he had sold the coin.

so in the UK, its often better to own up and get the "rewards" you justly deserve AND let others see the history.

not so much in the US I guess!

 

[Agent Green]

What was the reward, how many $$ coins is the treasure worth?? Thats amazing.....

 

[BVI Hunter]

What was the reward, how many $$ coins is the treasure worth?? Thats amazing.....

unsure what this worth, but a recent find of 50,000 coins was valued at nearly 300,000GBP so about $450k?

The Trove law can be tricky, its up to the Coroner (don't ask! ) to decide if the item was "lost" or "hidden / abandoned"

Treasure trove - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Mackaydon]

The coins went on display last week at the British Museum.
In its announcement, the museum credited the 51-year-old and other experts with “prompt and responsible action [that] ensured the coins were properly excavated and allowed for the later recording of the hoard.” According to the museum, the find represents the largest hoard found in the country from the 4th century.

“The scale of the hoard is remarkable,” the museum stated in its. “This is one of the largest hoards ever found within the whole Roman Empire. Despite the number of coins found, the financial value would not have been great, amounting to approximately four gold coins (solidi): this sum of money would possibly have provided a soldier’s food or a worker’s salary for two years.”
Good thread here: British Man Made an Ancient Discovery That Had Him Sleeping in His Car for Three Days to Guard It | Video | TheBlaze.com
Don....

 

[g-olden years]

Wow! Sounds like the happy finder will get some big bucks from whichever museum purchases the coins!

Thanks Mackaydon for posting this as otherwise I & others would never hear about it! And Thanks BVI Hunter for adding the second link which comes in faster plus gives much more description & great photos! You two guys rock! Andi

 

[Clay Slayer]

Cute news reporter...

 

[Mackaydon]

If this finder were a member of TN, he, no doubt, would get many Banner votes.
However, since he is not a member, I'll give him a Banner vote anyway "in absentia" from our membership.
Cru, recruit him !
Don....

 

[UnderMiner]

Not much treasure in the US besides the Spanish galleons off the coasts, and then it's finders keepers for the most part. But so far nearly every person who has found a significant treasure ship has made a museum dedicated to it.

 

[Garrett424]

In the UK, we have TREASURE TROVE, where it more than likely you will end up with the market value anyway.

A recent thread here told of a guy "stealing" a gold roman coin thru night hawking -
he was not caught in the act, but the police raided his house after a tip off that he had sold the coin.

so in the UK, its often better to own up and get the "rewards" you justly deserve AND let others see the history.

not so much in the US I guess!

In the US when people find out, someone wants their cut, lawyers are hired and the federal government wants their cut. We have the most litigious society in the world and it gets worse every year.

Mel Fisher, the famous treasure hunter of Florida spent years and years searching for and recovering Spanish shipwreck gold. He even lost his son in a diving accident during the recovery. The Spanish government and whatever insurance company originally took the risk made claims. Lawyers were hired on all sides and the battle dragged on for a number of years.

He eventually got what was coming but it cost millions in legal fees. He ended up with millions but he paid a price I would never be willing to pay for any amount of money or treasure.

I've actually been to Key West FL where one museum has part of the treasure on display. I actually physically touched a huge gold bar. It was awesome.

But, this is why I would keep quiet about any large hoard I may ever stumble upon. I can spend it and do far more good with it than any government or team of greedy attorneys (who ALWAYS make money in these cases BTW).

I'll take my chances.