By Sammie Jones-
Metal detectorist who found largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold coins is to become rich.
The anonymous treasure hunter found 131 gold coins – mostly Frankish tremisses – and four other gold objects in a single field in west Norfolk.
The coins were buried about 1,400 years ago, at a time when England was not yet unified and was divided into smaller kingdoms.
Most were found by one detectorist – who also wants to remain anonymous – between 2014 and 2020.
However, ten of the coins were discovered by David Cockle, a police officer at the time, who despite having permission to be in the field, broke the law by failing to declare his find and tried to sell it on.
The Treasure Act allows museums to acquire such finds for public benefit and a reward is normally paid that’s shared between the finder and landowner.
Senior curator of archaeology at the museum, Tim Pestell, said the items were internationally significant and reflected the “wealth and continental connections enjoyed by the early Kingdom of East Anglia”.
Before the Norfolk hoard, the biggest find of this period was a purse containing 101 Anglo-Saxon coins in Crondall, Hampshire in 1828.
In 2009, 5.1kg of gold and 1.4kg of silver from the same period were discovered in Staffordshire by Terry Herb, and until this day is the largest precious metal find.