Metal Detectorist Finds Haul Of 1,000 Coins Worth At Least £100,000

A metal detectorist found an incredible hoard of silver civil war era coins worth at least £100,000 ($130,000) in a field owned by his local pub.

Luke Mahoney, from Lindsey in Suffolk, stayed up for three nights straight after coming across more than 1,000 coins so as not to lose any to rival 'nighthawk' detectorists.

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Forty-year-old Luke, who runs a metal detector shop called Joan Allen Electrics, has been hunting for treasures for the last 10 years.

He found the 'biggest hoard' of his life last month when he and pals Dan Hunt and Matt Brown were detecting in a field behind the Lindsey Rose pub, while using his trusty Minelab Equinox 800 detector.

He said: "We did some detecting in the morning and found a beautiful gold coin and a little sixpence and then we went and had lunch at the pub.

"We went back out to the fields and almost immediately I hit a signal and I pulled out this Charles I coin. Then I hit another signal, and another."

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Realising he might be onto something pretty big, he pulled out his spade and got digging.

"They were everywhere," he added.

"It was pandemonium. After ten minutes of searching I hit this massive signal and I thought, 'This is it.'

"We dug and saw the pot. That feeling of scraping the dirt away and seeing the coins is indescribable."

In total, Luke found 1,078 silver hammered coins, dating back to somewhere around the 15th to the 17th century.

Following his find, Luke got in touch with the local 'Finds Liaison Officer' to make him aware of his discovery and declared it to the coroner.

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Luke has spoken to several experts who reckon the coins were most likely stashed in the field by a wealthy landlord who had gone off to fight in the English civil war.

Valuation expert Nigel Mills said the haul would fetch at least £100,000 at auction.

For three days after his find, Luke and his mates waited in their cars at night to ensure it was safe from any rivals who might come and pinch it in the night.

He added: "I was up for three days solid. I didn't sleep I just sat there with my eyes open looking for nighthawks.

"I waited in my car watching all night making sure no-one tried to sneak in and take the hoard. Even now I am a bit paranoid."

Topics: UK News, Interesting

Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

@ClaireReid19