Treasure Hunters Find a Trove of Ancient Coins After 30 Years of Searching — But Will They be Able to Keep the Stash?
- Posted on June 29, 2012 at 10:50am by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo: BBC)
Two treasure hunters searching for three decades found a stash of ancient Roman and Celtic coins in a farmer’s field that could be worth up to $15 million — but will they be able to keep it?
Tipped off by a woman recalling her father finding coins while plowing his field in Jersey, an island off the coast of Normandy, France, Reg Mead and Richard Miles set out with a metal detector and the permission of the landowner, who said they could only treasure hunt after harvesting time. According to BBC, the pair searched for up to 15 hours per day for 30 years, because they could only hunt during the small window of time after harvest. But their diligence paid off.
(Photo: Daily Telegraph video screenshot)
Here’s more from BBC on the discovery:
He said: “She told me that in the bottom was an earthenware pot and it shattered all over the field on a very muddy winter’s day and there were silver coins everywhere.
“They filled a small potato sack up and the rest of the stuff they just ploughed into the ground.
“When she described them we knew they were Iron Age. I told Richard and we have been searching hard all that time but have only just got to that spot.”
Mr Miles said that the first few coins they found confirmed the story they had been searching for for so long.
He said: “We then looked deeper into the ground to see if there was anything further. We came down on a solid object and when Reg dug up a chunk of earth there was immediately five or six discs.
The Daily Telegraph has footage of the two men describing their finding:
It is estimated the collection of coins from the time of Julius Caesar could number up to 50,000. BBC reports that the two are declaring their finding a “treasure trove,” which may in modern times just sound like a term used to describe a large hoard of valuables, but it has some legal meaning in this case. Mead described two laws that could apply to the finding — one a modern English law, the other an old French law. The French law would give the finders the stash outright. The English law, Business Insider explains, gave museums the right to reclaim valuable artifacts found by treasure hunters for the full market value of the “trove.”
Business Insider explains that the independent government of Jersey may not be recognizing either law, saying they are not governed by them.
“We are testing that case because the powers that be have said the practice of trove doesn’t exist in Jersey any more,” Mead said to BBC. Mead said if the trove law is not recognized, then they should revert to the old French law of finders keepers.
As for the farmer whose property the valuable coins were found upon, he has an agreement with the two men who located it.
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Teaple
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 9:57pmMan, if I found these I’d head directly for the Coinstar machine.
Report Post »MrJack
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 3:39pmSad day blaze! Read before you write! It wasn’t 15 hours a day for thirty years, it was a fifteen hour stretch between potato a few times a year! Says so in the article you linked to, and in this NPR interview with the treasure hunters themselves!
Report Post »http://reader.mac.com/mobile/v1/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theworld.org%2Frss%2Fgeoquiz.xml
Keep your standards a little higher please!
flatbroke
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 4:25pmWhy would you tell anybody about this, keep your mouth shut, when you find treasure, or the gov. will get it!
Report Post »father_of_10
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 3:39pmEven in the US, the government would try to take the coins from these guys. I don’t expect them to be able to keep them. AT best they may get a modest amount of money, but I really doubt they will get the millions the coins are worth.
In fact, it seems like France is more lenient to the treasure hunters than England.
Report Post »Sol Invictus
Posted on June 30, 2012 at 9:09amJersey has been part of the English Kingdom since 1066 – please don’t show your ignorance or offend the people of Jersey.
Report Post »Larry E
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 2:23pmIMHO the English law which pays the finders the value of their find which is turned over to a museum is the best for all involved. The finders/property owners get a lot of money, and the public gets to see what was found. The finders are likely in no position to either keep their treasure safe or display it to the public.
Nobody now is going to know the value of these coins except for experts, so hauling them off someplace to spend them likely wouldn’t fly.
Report Post »Unix
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:29pmLoose lips sink ships…should I have found them, no one would know except the buyer! I may drop a few off at the museum for historical preservation anon…these guys have lost their ‘trove’ from what I am reading. Bloody socialists, greedy until death…
Report Post »garylee123
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 1:03pmBeing that my ancestors paid out the insurance on this “lost” trove, I hereby claim it. Sounds stupid but that’s what happens. Ask the one who found the S.S. Central America.
Report Post »65Plus
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:32amKeep your mouth shut. And then go on vacation where they can be sold.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:32amSounds like they are democrats. Can’t keep their big mouths shut.
Report Post »macpappy
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:29amFound treasure in a socialist country, where is the question, of course they will NOT be able to keep it. They are their brothers keeper, so that money belongs to the village. Ain’t it lovely.
Report Post »facilitiesmgr
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:09amStories of persistence, hard work and reward are great. Too many people in our society give up too easily because they haven’t learned the lessons needed to be able to succeed. Check out a business called LIFE if you want to learn some of these lessons.
Another great story of treasure hunting for a long period of time before finally hitting “paydirt” is a story of Mel Fisher and his searching for and finally finding a couple of Spanish wrecks loaded with gold, silver, emeralds, etc. Every day when they got down to the dock to leave for their search Mel would say, “todays the day.” He did that for about 20 years on an almost constant basis.
In order to succeed there will ALWAYS be dream, struggle, victory.
Report Post »Angel_light
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:08amthis is very cool. I hope they get to keep them
Report Post »OneTermPresident
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:05amLiz Klimas… you missed your calling whatever it is… it’s not writing articles.
Report Post »COFemale
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:43amOkay, lets see your writing skills bozo.
You must remember the majority of these stories are written by someone else and they just brought to The Blaze. Note the phrase: Here’s more from BBC on the discovery
Report Post »Cavallo
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:04amIt depends on if the bureaucrats are feeling generous. They swipe children away from their parents at the drop of a hat in the UK so, swiping treasure should probably be an easier decision for them.
Report Post »RightPolitically
Posted on June 29, 2012 at 11:04amI’d like to see those coins.
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