Roman coin hoard will be staying in Warwickshire - The Stratford Observer

Roman coin hoard will be staying in Warwickshire

Stratford Editorial 16th Apr, 2019   0

A MAJOR hoard of Roman coins discovered in Warwickshire will be staying in the county.

The hoard made up of 440 silver denarii coins was unearthed during an archaeological dig at a Roman site at Edge Hill in 2015. They were buried in a ceramic pot over 1900 years ago under the floor of a building.

It was the second hoard of denarii found in the area and contained 78 coins dating to AD 68-69, a turbulent time in Roman history known as the ‘Year of the Four Emperors’.

As with all finds of gold or silver of this date, the hoard was declared ‘treasure’ and has been with the British Museum for formal identification and valuation.




Bosses at Warwickshire Museum were given four months in April to raise £62,000 to acquire the coins to display them at the Market Hall Museum in Warwick.

The fund-raising campaign received interest from around the world. In addition to successful applications to the V&A Purchase Grant Fund for £30,000 and the Art Fund totalling £14,000, a fund-raising evening in Warwick raised over £2,000. The remainder of the funding came from donations by supporters of the museum service.


Sara Wear, curator of human history, said: “The interest the hoard and the campaign has generated is far beyond what anyone could have imagined. We have received donations and enquires from all over the world. We are sure, once the hoard is on display, it will attract visitors to the town and to Warwickshire.

“On behalf of the Warwickshire County Council Museum Service, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to bringing the hoard home for generations to come to enjoy.”

County heritage spokesman Coun Dave Reilly described the find as “amazingly important”.

He added: “Bringing the hoard back to the county and the Market Hall Museum will mean that Warwickshire’s residents can enjoy them for generations to come.

“The international significance of some of the coins in this hoard will increase visitors not only to Warwick, but the wider county, which can only contribute to our key objective of making the Warwickshire economy vibrant.”

It is hoped the hoard could be on display by the summer.

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