Gobowen hoard to go on public display
In January last year we published Gobowen Roman coin hoard declared as treasure, which told the story of the find and excavation work of this hoard. This morning, Shropshire Council announced that a funding appeal by Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery to acquire the hoard has “exceeded all expectations and achieved its target in days“.
As detailed in our earlier article, the hoard of 337 silver Roman coins was found by detectorist Darren Booth in 2019.
At the launch of the fund raising appeal he said “I would love to be able to visit them in the museum. I want Shrewsbury to have the hoard because it is local history. One of the coins is from 69-70AD, the time of Emperor Vespasian. It is rare – only the second coin of its type in Britain. The first one is in the British Museum but the one I found is much better. “
Emma-Kate Lanyon, Shropshire Council museum service curator, thanked supporters for their generosity: “By helping Shropshire Council museums service purchase this remarkable find, which lay undisturbed for 2,000 years, our supporters are working alongside metal detectorists, archaeologists and historians to understand an important moment in our shared history and make it accessible.“
She added “We hope to display the Gobowen Hoard at Oswestry Library before it is added to the permanent displays at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery“.
Rob Gittins, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for culture and digital, said “Hoards of coins are what everyone thinks of as treasure, but Roman hoards such as this are amazingly rare from Shropshire. This particular hoard was very well preserved and we were keen to acquire them so that we can share them with everyone by exhibiting them at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery.”