Stash of rare coins discovered in Scottish Borders

The coins are thought to be from the 1460s

A collection of rare medieval coins have been discovered by two metal detectorists in the Scottish Borders.

A stash of 30 gold and silver coins were found, with archaeologists finding another five coins after excavating the site.

The 15th century artefacts found in St Mary's Loch, Selkirkshire, are a mixture of Scottish and English coins.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal, who announced the discovery, said the coins were probably left at the site in the early to mid 1460s.

A haul of 30 rare medieval gold and silver coins were discovered by two detectorists

After their lucky find, the metal detectorists reported the coin collection to the Treasure Trove Unit, which assesses all Scottish archaeological finds.

The unit will then pass the findings on to the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel which will work out how much the coins are worth and the value will then be paid to the finders.

"Lisa and I have been lucky enough to have found some wonderful artefacts while metal detecting, but nothing quite prepared us for a find like this," said Mr Young, one of the detectorists who made the discovery.

"Hopefully the hoard will go on public display for others to enjoy."

"Coin hoards containing a mix of both English and Scottish coins are not unusual, but we do not see many hoards from this period in Scotland, so it's a fascinating find," said Antony Lee from the Treasure Trove Unit.