Jersey coin hoard now on show at La Hougue Bie

Jersey's ancient coin hoard will return to La Hougue Bie today, as the museum opens for its summer season.

The discovery was made in Grouville by two metal detectorists in 2012. It is thought to be one of the largest Celtic coin hoards ever to be found.

The collection has become world-renowned and scientifically referred to as Le Câtillon II.

New research now suggests it is not a single mass, but two separate coin hoards that each have their own origin and age.

One part contains the early coins, gold jewellery and precious metal ingots. The type of coins in this part of the hoard are attributed to the Coriosolitae tribe, which was based in Northern Brittany. It is thought that the later material may have been manufactured by tribes in western and lower Normandy.

Laser technology has been used to record the position of each of the 70,000 coins, while a team of Jersey Heritage archaeologists has been uncovering the artefacts.

In April, Dr Philip de Jersey will address a conference of experts with the findings for the first time in Brazil.