Roman Coin Hoard Discovered During Construction in Worcestershire

A collection of Roman gold and silver coins, dating back to Emperor Nero’s reign, has been unearthed during building work in Worcestershire. This treasure, comprising 1,368 Iron Age and Roman coins, includes the largest assemblage from the emperor’s rule ever found. Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums reported that the hoard was discovered in the Leigh and Bransford area, west of Worcester, in late 2023. Its estimated value is anticipated to exceed £100,000. Experts from the charity stated that the find was “one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Worcestershire in the last 100 years.” The majority of the coins are silver denarii, minted in Rome and dating from the Roman Republic period in 157 BC up to Nero’s reign between AD 54–68. The sole gold coin is an Iron Age stater, which was struck for the local British tribe, the Dobunni, who inhabited the area now known as Worcestershire and neighbouring counties to the south and west in AD 20–45. Dr. Murray Andrews, a lecturer in British archaeology at University College London, described the discovery as “remarkable.” He remarked, “It’s the most miraculous thing I’ve seen over the last 100 years.” He further added, “It’s an important piece of archaeology. It tells us about what was happening here 2000 years ago, when the Malvern hills were maybe the boundary of the Roman Empire.” One expert theory posits that the hoard represents the accumulated savings of a wealthy local farmer, who earned his income by supplying the Roman army with grain and livestock. The expert indicated that the substantial number of coins implies the hoard would have constituted a “very considerable sum of cash” at the time of its burial. It is probable that the vessel containing the coins was produced at one of the pottery kilns located at the foot of the Malvern Hills. After the hoard was declared as treasure by a Worcestershire coroner in June 2024, Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums announced its aim to help raise funds to acquire the hoard so that it can be publicly displayed. The organization intends to raise £6,000, with hopes that the remaining cost will be covered through grant-funding applications. If the necessary funds cannot be amassed, the hoard will be returned to its finders or the landowner and might never go on public display. Karen May, Chair of Worcestershire County Council’s joint museums committee, commented: “What a fantastic find and so important for anyone wishing to understand more about the county’s heritage. This is real Worcestershire treasure, and it needs to be seen and enjoyed by Worcestershire residents for generations to come.” This hoard is the third to have been found in the area within the past 25 years. In 1999, 434 silver coins and 38 pottery fragments were discovered near Chaddesley Corbett. In a significantly larger find, two detectorists from Redditch located a clay pot full of 3,784 coins on Bredon Hill in 2011.