Detector's coin hoard find was 'pure fate'

A metal detector enthusiast from Southampton who discovered one of the largest Anglo-Saxon coin hoards ever found in Britain described it as "pure fate" as the treasure went on display at the British Museum.

Paul Coleman, 59, found more than 5,200 silver coins from the 11th century in the village of Lenborough, Buckinghamshire, during a Christmas dig on December 21.

He said that finding treasure for the first time in 40 years as a metaldetector fan felt "like winning the pools" as the coins were put on show forthe public at the museum in Bloomsbury, central London.

His is the biggest Anglo-Saxon coin hoard found since the Treasure Act began in 1996 and includes coins from the reigns of kings Ethelred the Unready (978-1013 and 1014-1016) and Canute the Great (1016-1035).

Self-employed Mr Coleman said he had been convinced to go by his son Liam and a friend at the last minute, adding: "Boy, am I glad."

There has been speculation that the hoard, which is in good condition, couldpossibly be worth as much as £1.3 million, which Mr Coleman would have to split with the landowner.

Refusing to be drawn on how much money he was hoping for, Mr Coleman said that he was planning to buy a bigger house if he does see any cash from the find.

I'm originally from Liverpool and we have got relatives up there, so it wouldbe nice to be able to put them up if they come to stay," he said.

Asked what it felt like to see the coins on display in the British Museum, MrColeman said it was "staggering".

Gareth Williams, curator of early medieval coinage at the British Museum,explained that the penny coins added up to £21 and two marks and would have bought around 1,000 sheep at the time they were minted.

Up to 45 different coin mints have been identified within the hoard, which iseffectively two hoards within one, Mr Williams said.

He explained that it was buried towards the end of the reign of King Canute.

The coins are likely to have been the accumulated savings of someone living late in the reign of King Ethelred and a larger sum from a generation later.

Asked why the treasure might have been buried at the site it was found, MrWilliams said: "It is buried in a small, not particularly significant parish.

"Hoards are often buried quite deliberately away from anything because thatmeant that whoever buried it could be certain of not being observed at thetime."Mr Williams explained that although the coins were found close to the oldBuckingham mint, they have nothing to do with it and only one has been found so far from Buckingham.

If the coins are declared treasure by a coroner they will be valued and lateroffered to a museum, with Buckinghamshire County Museum their most likely destination.