A metal detectorist is to get a share of £1.35m after finding a hoard of 5,251 Anglo Saxon silver coins. Paul Coleman found the coins in Lenborough, Buckinghamshire in 2014. The Treasure Valuation Committee has ruled on their worth and Mr Coleman will split the money with the land owner. The Buckinghamshire County Museum had already launched a fundraising campaign ahead of the valuation, with the aim of buying the hoard.
The coins, which were found buried and wrapped in a sheet, depict the heads of King Ethelred the Unready and King Canute and came from 40 different mints around England. Mr Coleman, who lives in Southampton and is a member of the Weekend Wanderers Detecting Club, said he was accepting the valuation and wanted the hoard to go to the Buckinghamshire County Museum. He said that It’s open to wild speculation and it has been suggested by some experts that was worth £2-3m.