Colkirk: Roman coin hoard sells for £15,000 at auction

The Colkirk hoard includes an extremely rare example of a commemorative coin given to warriors, which sold for £3,400

A hoard of Roman coins discovered by a metal detectorist scouring farmland has fetched more than £15,000 after going under the hammer.

More than 430 coins were found buried in the village of Colkirk, near Fakenham, Norfolk.

A collection of 73 pieces, including an extremely rare coin featuring a phoenix on a globe, was auctioned in London.

The anonymous finder had shown "perseverance", said coin specialist Nigel Mills, from Noonans auctioneers.

"Some of the people I've spoken to recently, who have found some amazing finds, are spending a lot of time detecting - hours and hours - and they don't give up," he said.

"They keep going and that's the secret in so many things - don't give up, keep looking."

An excavation was carried out by digger in 2021, with most of the coins found in a small radius - although farming methods had caused some to scatter

The Colkirk hoard, believed to date back to the early 5th Century, was spread out across a third of an acre on arable farmland, although the majority of finds were discovered in a 1.5m (59in) radius.

It was a lucky find for the detectorist, who had no idea the soil held such treasures.

They were out searching a field in January 2020 when they spotted a silver coin, which they recognised as a siliqua - a small, thin Roman coin.

It sparked a haul of 40 coins that day, with a further 40 found on the following one.

The hoard was unearthed over two years due to the Covid lockdowns and restrictions

Covid lockdowns meant searches became more sporadic, but each discovery was logged with a portable GPS unit to accurately pinpoint the hoard's distribution.

In all, 315 coins were found in 2020, 114 in 2021 and three in 2022.

Some of the coins had been damaged, while others were fragmented due to farming processes.

The hoard went through the treasure process, in line with the law, but was disclaimed as no museum could acquire it.

A commemorative Third Miliarensis coin issued by Emperor Theodosius, decorated with a phoenix on one side, was only the fifth one of its type known to exist, with all the others in museums.

It reached £3,400 at the sale in Mayfair.

Mr Mills said: "The hoard had [been] spread out over a third of an acre through disturbance by ploughing and has been recorded under the Treasure Act.

"The hoard is likely to have been deposited at the beginning of the 5th Century AD, with the latest coin of Honorius dating no later than 402 AD.

"Other Roman treasure finds of gold and silver also from East Anglia, such as the Hoxne and Thetford hoards, reflect the wealth and importance of the area."