Five Roman coins found in Northumberland field declared treasure

Five Roman coins found in a Northumberland field have been declared as treasure.

On Wednesday, August 14, the "Roman denarii hoard" was declared as treasure by Northumberland Senior Coroner, Andrew Hetherington, at The Coroner's Court County Hall in Morpeth, Northumberland. The five coins were found in a field near Otterburn by Richard Wilson on October 23, 2023.

Mr Wilson, who was not present for the hearing, found the coins when out with his metal detector, with the coins recovered from a depth of approximately 15cm.

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Two coins were issued under the Authority of Mark Antony and were dated to 32-31 BC, both of which showed the eagle and standards on the reverse sides. A third coin was issued under the authority of Vespasian by the Mint of Rome in 76AD and showed the head of Vespasian on one side and an eagle with wings holding a thunderbolt in its claws on the reverse.

A fourth coin, dating back to 98-99AD, was issued under Trajan and the Mint of Rome, and showed Concordia seated holding a patera and cornucopias. Though the fifth was the most recent, it was still almost 1,900 years old - dating to the time of Antoninus Pus in 140-144AD.

The coroners' report found that all coins are likely to have circulated together in the middle of the second century AD. Coins of Mark Antony are known to have been continued to circulate for several centuries, and their worn state is a reflection of that.

The coins are considered as potential treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 as a hoard of two or more silver coins over 300 years old and of the same find.