Reader finds hoard of gold coins

December 31, 2021 Peter

Reader finds hoard of gold coins

A few months back Steve Simmons contacted me to say he had found a small hoard of hammered gold coins. Steve asked if I’d like to feature the hoard on my website and as could be expected I said yes.

Treasure

Some finds seem to take ages to go through the Treasure procedure but this one didn’t take long. No museum wanted to acquire the hoard so it was returned quite quickly to Steve, who let me have really good images of the content.

Hoard

It not a large hoard as it is made up on only 14 coins but most are quite large and in very good condition. They are as follows: one unite of James I, three laurels and two half laurels of James I, two unites of and six double crowns of Charles I. The latest coin dates from the early 1640s, which suggests that the hoard would have been deposited close to the start of the Civil War. The face value adds up to £10 – a considerable sum around 1640. In the case of hoards I always wonder who buried them. Did they die before they had the chance to retrieve what they had buried or did they simply forget where it was hidden?

The find

Steve said that his wife bought him a detector as a present for Christmas 2020. He found a few bits and pieces but nothing really outstanding. Then, during an evening outing, he unearthed two hammered gold coins from a depth of about six inches. He said he was shaking with excitement: first at the sight of two great coins and secondly by the thought that there could be others still in the soil. Therefore, Steve ordered a new machine but when it arrived it wouldn’t work. He ordered another but that didn’t work either. By now he must have been very frustrated. Anyway, Steve ended up with a Nox 600 and with that it took him 30 minutes to locate 12 more hammered gold coins. He told me that this machine constantly confuses and surprises him but it keeps turning up good finds.

The first seven coins from Steve’s hoard follow on and I’ll feature the remainder next week. The figures are likely auction prices.

Featured coin

James I laurel Third Coinage

James I laurel Third coinage, M.M. spur rowel. First or second bust but can’t be sure which due to weakness in crucial areas. Very sharp bust of the king but a deposit of some kind in the fine detail. There is some flatness at the top of the reverse and a corresponding area on the obverse but the coin is otherwise in VF condition.

Valuation: £1,500 – £1,800

Other coins

Charles I double crown, group F

Charles I double crown. Tower mint, group F, square-topped shield on reverse with crowned C and R to left and right, M.M. triangle in circle. S. 2706. Obverse slightly double struck, reverse off centre and both sides weak in places, otherwise good Fine and the mint mark rare on gold coins.

Valuation: £700 – £800

Charles I double crown, Group B

Tower mint, group B, second bust, crowned square-topped shield on reverse. M.M. heart. S. 2699. VF/about VF but scratch on obverse.

Valuation: £500 – £600

Charles I double crown

Tower mint, group A, one jewelled arch to crown, M.M. lis. S. 2698. Obverse nearly VF, reverse good VF. £1,200-1,500.

Valuation: £1,200 – £1,500

Charles I unite

Tower mint, group A, double arched crown, M.M. lis. S. 2865. VF. £1,800-2,200.

Valuation: £1,800 – £2,200

James I half laurel

James I half laurel. Third coinage, first bust, M.M. spur rowel. S 2640. Note that the mint mark on the reverse is after the third word in the legend. The coin would grade good VF but has been pierced.

Valuation: £400 – £500

James I laurel

Third coinage, fourth head, M.M. trefoil. S. 2635B. Obverse VF, reverse good VF

Valuation: £1,800 – £2,000