8 thousand medieval coins found

Sometimes it does pay to have a metal detector. That’s what some detectorists in Scotland think. They unearthed thousands of coins from the 13th and 14th centuries. It was called the Dunscore hoard. It is the largest hoard of medieval coins to be discovered in Scotland in the last two centuries. In total they found 8 thousand medieval coins.

The hoard was discovered near the Scottish village of Dunscore, next to the town of Dumfries. It is on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is composed of Scottish, Irish, English and Continental silver coins. The newspaper Scottish Daily Record reported. Most of the 8,407 coins are Edward I and II pennies.

8,000 medieval coins found in Scotland.
They found 8 thousand medieval coins in Scotland.

Table of Contents

Major find

The English king Edward I was succeeded by Edward II and Edward III. Consequently, all English pennies from the time of their reigns bore the name Edward. Their basic design was the same.

However, the re-coinage began during the seventh year of Edward I’s reign. It established a format for the design of English coins that was to last for over two hundred years. This meant that the work of identifying individual coins would be exceptionally complicated. And it will take a long time. Although the Scottish Treasury Unit has already confirmed its importance. It is one of “the largest hoards of medieval coins found in Scotland since the 19th century”. The haul is estimated to be worth “hundreds of thousands of pounds”.

The detectorists who found 8,000 medieval coins reported it immediately. The site was quickly excavated by a team of archaeologists from the Scottish Treasure Unit. Archaeologists from National Museums Scotland provided support. Colin Mitchell of the Dunscore Heritage Centre, stated That the coins are an “absolutely amazing find”. The medieval coins technically belong to the Crown.

This hoard would be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling.
This treasure would be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling.

Reward

The hoard is still being cataloged. Each of the coins will be weighed, measured and photographed. The Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel must decide. It will recommend whether the Crown should exercise its right over the hoard, or not. If the Crown exercises it, the discovery will become a registered national treasure. In addition, a reward will be awarded to the detectorists and the landowner.

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