The first cache of gold coins from the Iron Age found in Wales has been designated as treasure. In Llangoed on Anglesey in 2021, three metal detectorists discovered 15 coins that contained both gold and silver.
The coins, known as staters, were found scattered across the corner of a field (Image: © Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales)
Peter Cockton, Lloyd Roberts, and Tim Watson discovered the stater coins in a field's corner and reported their discovery to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. On August 9 2023, Kate Robertson, the senior coroner for North West Wales, pronounced the stash to be treasure.
Since I've been looking for history for more than 14 years, discovering a gold stater has always been at the top of my dream list, according to Lloyd Roberts, who discovered the first two coins. Can you picture my amazement, joy, and surprise when I called out to my friend Peter, having dug up a gorgeous complete gold stater in pristine condition, having never anticipated to really find one, let alone in Anglesey?
"That one coin alone would have made my year," Mr. Roberts continued, "but I continued to find another on my next signal, and then Peter found a total of three." We both just sat down, had coffee, and imagined what our surroundings and people's lives were like more than 2000 years ago after getting in touch with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
"I'm relatively new to metal detecting and was encouraged to give it a try by my dad during lockdown," said Tim Watson, who discovered the remaining 10. I had already explored this topic a few times without discovering much of interest then, one evening, I essentially hit gold.
"I ran home to show my wife, and we both gasped at the beauty of this coin, which was unlike anything else I had ever seen, flawlessly maintained with such unique stylized motifs. In the weeks that followed, I made the decision to upgrade my metal detector, which was money well spent because I went on to discover an additional nine coins in the same location.
In September 2021, Gwynedd Archaeological Trust paid a visit to the area where the coins were discovered alongside Mr. Watson and the landowner Gwyn Jones after additional coins were discovered. They searched for any archaeological artifacts that would have provided information on why the coins were buried.
The field had been under pasture and last plowed 15 years prior to the initial finding. Before being transported to Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales in October 2021 so a report could be given to the coroner, the coins were given to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS Cymru).
The coins were struck between 60BC and 20BC at three different mints across what is now Lincolnshire. They are attributed to the Corieltauvi tribe, who inhabited the geographical area of the modern East Midlands during the late Iron Age. (Image: © Amgueddfa Cymru National Museum Wales)
The hoard is a magnificent illustration of the rich archaeological landscape that exists in north west Wales, according to Sean Derby, historic environment record archaeologist and Portable Antiquities Scheme finds recording officer at Gwynedd Archaeological Trust.
The findspot is located in a known prehistoric and early Roman activity area and contributes to our understanding of this region, despite the fact that the immediate proximity of the find did not provide any hints as to the find's provenance.
Between 60 BC and 20 BC, three distinct mints in what is now Lincolnshire produced the coins. They are credited to the Corieltauvi tribe, which resided in the present-day East Midlands region during the late Iron Age.
Each piece features a highly stylized design that was inspired by Phillip II's Macedonian gold coins, which have an Apollo bust on the obverse (heads side) and a two-horse chariot and charioteer on the reverse (tails side).
The staters' reverse depicts a stylized triangular-headed horse with different symbols surrounding it, while the obverse depicts Apollo's wreath and hair. The symbols serve as the primary identifying characteristics that categorize coins into their many varieties.
Coin discoveries from the Iron Age are uncommon in Wales since the tribes that now call modern Wales home did not produce their own coins and hardly ever used those of other tribes. Rarely do pre-Roman habitation sites in Britain turn up Iron Age coinage.
The way we use coins today was probably not how the coins were utilized back then. Instead, it is believed that they were given as alliance- or loyalty-building presents amongst elites or as sacrifices to the gods, while in rare circumstances, it is possible that they were used for expensive expenditures.
The coin cache is sought after by Oriel Môn in Anglesey. The local find is exciting news for Oriel Môn, according to Ian Jones, building and collections manager at Oriel Môn. We are thrilled to acquire the coins, which are significant nationally, for the Anglesey Museum collection and to put them on exhibit for the general audience.
