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    • Hoard of 1,000-year-old coins unearthed in a farmer's field sells for US$5.6 million

    An Edward the Confessor Pyramid coin (1065-6) is on display at the British Museum in London, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) An Edward the Confessor Pyramid coin (1065-6) is on display at the British Museum in London, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
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    Adam Staples knew he鈥檇 found something when his metal detector let out a beep. And then another. And another.

    Soon 鈥渋t was just 鈥榖eep beep, beep beep, beep beep,鈥欌 Staples said.

    In a farmer鈥檚 field in southwest England, Staples and six friends had found a hoard of more than 2,500 silver coins that had lain in the ground for almost 1,000 years. Valued at 4.3 million pounds (US$5.6 million) and now bound for a museum, they will help shed light on the turbulent aftermath of the Norman conquest of England.

    鈥淭he first one was a William the Conqueror coin 鈥 1,000 pounds, 1,500 pounds value,鈥 Staples said Tuesday at the British Museum, where the hoard will go on display in November. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really good find. It鈥檚 a find-of-the-year sort of discovery. And then we got another one, (we thought) there might be five, there might be 10.

    鈥淎nd it just got bigger and bigger," he said 鈥 the biggest find in his 30 years of searching the fields and furrows of Britain as an amateur detectorist.

    The hoard, discovered in 2019 and recently acquired by the South West Heritage Trust, totalled 2,584 silver pennies minted between 1066 and 1068, some showing conquering King William I and others his defeated Anglo-Saxon predecessor Harold II.

    Michael Lewis, head of the Portable Antiquities Scheme 鈥 a government-funded project that records archaeological discoveries made by the public 鈥 said it is 鈥渙ne of the most spectacular discoveries鈥 of recent years, especially because 鈥渋ts story is yet to be fully unravelled.鈥

    Lewis said the coin hoard will help deepen understanding of the most famous date in English history: 1066, the year William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings, replacing England鈥檚 Saxon monarchs with Norman French rulers.

    鈥淢ost of us are taught about the Norman Conquest of England at school, probably because it was the last time that England was successfully conquered,鈥 Lewis said. 鈥淏ut it a story based on certain myths,鈥 such as the notion that the battle pitted 鈥淓nglish versus French,鈥 or 鈥済ood鈥 Saxons against 鈥渂ad鈥 Normans.

    In fact, the warring families were interrelated, and Lewis said the hoard 鈥渉elps us to tell a different story, one that is more nuanced.鈥

    Though the invasion marked a historic schism, the coins in the hoard are remarkably similar whether they were minted before or after the conquest. One side shows a monarch鈥檚 head in profile, the other an emblem: an elaborate cross for William, the somewhat ironic word 鈥減ax鈥 -- peace -- for Harold.

    Amal Khreisheh, curator of archaeology at the South West Heritage Trust, said the coins were likely buried for safekeeping as local rebellions erupted against Norman rule.

    鈥淲e know that the people of Exeter rebelled against William in 1068 and that Harold鈥檚 sons, who were in exile in Ireland, came back and started mounting attacks along the River Avon down into Somerset,鈥 she said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 probably against that background they were hidden.鈥

    The Chew Valley Hoard, named for the rural area where it was found, has been bought for the nation with money from the charitable arm of Britain鈥檚 national lottery. After going on display at the British Museum and other museums around the U.K., it will have a permanent home at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton, 130 miles (210 kilometres) southwest of London.

    It has taken several years for the hoard to make its way through Britain鈥檚 system for handling amateur archaeological finds. The Treasure Act decrees that anyone who finds historic gold, silver or other precious items must inform the local coroner. If a coroner declares it treasure, the hoard will belong to the government, and museums can bid for funding to acquire it.

    An expert committee sets a value on each find, with the money divided between the owner of the land and the finders. In this case, Staples and six fellow detectorists split half of the 4.3 million pound purse.

    鈥淚t鈥檚 like winning the lottery,鈥 said Staples, who plans to continue his treasure-hunting hobby. 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to give up now. I love it.鈥

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