Amateur metal detectorists discover 600 medieval coins worth £150,000
Seven treasure hunters have struck it big, unearthing a hoard of over 600 mediaeval coins that has been valued at about £150,000 (AUD$259,000, USD$183,143).
Amateur detectorists Andrew Winter, Dom Rapley, Eryk Wierucki, Jaroslaw Giedyna, Dariusz Fijalkowski and brothers Tobiasz and Mateusz Nowak made the incredible discovery, which is now known as the 'Hambleden Hoard',
The seven were far more used to digging up shotgun shells and thimbles than real life buried treasure, so it really was their lucky day.
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The group of detectorists were stunned to pull coin after coin out of the soil, eventually winding up with a trove of 627 gold coins, which included 12 ultra-rare full gold nobles from around the time the Black Death struck.
There are only 12 known examples of these coins found during a 1963 survey.
They also discovered a further 547 silver pennies that hark back to the reigns of Edward I and II, 21 Irish pennies, 20 continental coins, and 27 Scottish pennies from the reign of Alexander III, John Balliol, and Robert the Bruce.
Not bad for waving a metal stick around in a field if you ask us.
The trove of coins is believed to be the biggest find in a decade.
Detectorist Mateusz Nowak, who is a hospital cleaner from Newcastle, said: "It felt unreal.
"After finding the hoard, and then clearing the area, we had to extend the search twice more because we were finding so much.
"It was a miracle moment after moment for everyone."
The face value of the coins would be a little over £6 when translated to current currency, but the true value of the buried treasure may be as high as £150,000.
Dad-of-three and machine operator from Bristol Dariusz Fijalkowski came across the boon when he discovered a thimble nearby and two silver coins.
"Before that - apart from the thimble - [all I had dug up] had been shotgun shells," he said.
"When I found the coins I was shouting so much because I was so excited. Maybe I should have stayed quiet but I was so happy.
"For me those coins alone were special. They are small pieces of silver and also a piece of history.
"But to see what we found in the end. I still can't believe it."The incredible find was made at an organised detectorist rally near Hambleden, in south-west Buckinghamshire.
As per the rules of detecting and treasure hunting, any discovery over three coins is dubbed a 'hoard'.
The men will have the coins independently valued before being sold, with the money split with the owner of the land in which the coins were found.
Rachel Lang