Find of the year

2009/10

At the end of the season every guy that comes here gets to vote for his personal favorite find throughout the season (not his own finds of course) The find with the most votes gets the holder a free weeks detecting next season and the engrave Roman jug, not forgetting his name on the role of honor shield !

These are not the definitive list but are a few of my current favourites, members can vote for any finds that are on our site for the season 2009/2010.

'Saxon' gold coins not in the reference books are usually Merovingian tremisses, and this coin (EMC 2010.0130) is no exception to this rule.
The coin seems to be unworn and from relatively undamaged dies, but the inscriptions are garbled. I have not found any similar coins in the reference books on Merovingian coins (which is not unusual), but if I receive any clarification from one of the continental experts on Merovingian coins I shall let you know.

Merovingian gold coins greatly outnumber Anglo-Saxon gold coins as finds in England.

With thanks,

Martin

18.74mm, 5.62g

Outer Band - In memory of

Inner inscription - Anna C Round Ob 5th Ap 1822

Maker TM -18 carat Sheffield hallmark 1829

7th century Saxon dragon headed silver strap end - reported as treasure to museum

35.89mm L, 2.61g

Stunningly beautiful - Romano/British bronze razor back pig/hog offering ? red enamelled eyes - 65.56mm L x 39.9mm H 148g

Best condition Roman silver I have ever seen dug- next to fresh water spring ! Probably an offering

Sent off for ID

16.3mm,3.39g

Merovingian tremissis of the 7th century

1.26g,15.08mm

This coin (EMC 2010.0131) is a Merovingian tremissis of Coutances (dep.
Manche), moneyer Piontus, from the same dies as Belfort 1681, Prou 299.
The obverse names the mint *CVSTANCIA [S reversed] and the reverse names the moneyer PIONtVS. Priou reads the moneyer's name as tVSPION but Belfort's reading PIONtVS is now accepted as the correct one.

Keep looking.

Martin

Very interesting hollow Roman/Saxon padlock - red enamelled on head on nose

3 cut outs to rear

38mm L x 27.8mm H - 10.06g

1346-1361 Edward III gold half noble - Closed E at centre of cross - Cross 3 - Pre treaty

Obv EDWAR D GRA (DEI G) REX ANGL AZ FRANC

25.10mm, 3.80g

957 AD King Edgar -Saxon hammered silver penny 18.29mm, 0.59g- sent for confirmation of ID and recording to the Fitzwilliam museum

Many thanks for this find, which I have recorded as EMC 2009.0377. It is a coin of Edgar's Bust Crowned type, with the last letter of the king's name, R, visible on the obverse. Unfortunately the remaining portion of the reverse inscription is a garbled version of MONETA (MONEAT), and consequently the mint and moneyer are uncertain.

Best wishes,

Martin

CCI no. 09.3512.

Taco'd Circa 1350 Edward hammered gold 1/4 noble - Cross 3 -Needs straightening to ID exact type from rev shield.

Obv + EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL

Rev

18.92mm. 1.9g

Medieval gold ring - full inscription inside and out - reported to Colchester museum as treasure

inner - PEULET Z (FRENCH NAME )

Outer - SF UNY

17.18mm, 4.17g

1243 AD Medieval harness shield pendant of De Clare

'Found more on De Clare-- seems there was a Gilbert "The Red" (red haired) de Clare & son of Richard-- was one of the Earls of Gloucstershire (7th , I think) and had a whole bunch of other lands in 20 counties in Eng and Ireland. Joined the Montfort rebellion against the king. Married a jaon (Johanna) daughter of Edward II Longshanks , she was born in Acre - the site in the holy land where the Crusaders / Templar's lost it all . He was born in 1243'.

995-7 Late transitional period - Æthelred II 'crux' type South Eastern mint bust type Fig 7 - Eadpold, moneyer

Bar headed bust left Voided short cross with C,R,V,X in angles

Obv + AEDELRED REX . ANGLO\X, written with sperate R & X

Rev + EADPOLD M : U CAENT - Cantebury mint

Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II,(c. 968 – 23 April 1016), was a king of the English (978–1013 and 1014–1016). He was a son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. His reign was much troubled by Danish Viking raiders. Æthelred was only about 10 (no more than 13) when his half-brother Edward was murdered and was not personally suspected of participation. But as the deed occurred at Corfe Castle by the attendants of Æthelred's mother, it made it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the invader, especially as a legend of St Edward the Martyr soon grew. Later, Æthelred ordered a massacre of Danish settlers in 1002 and also paid tribute, or Danegeld, to Danish leaders from 991 onwards. In 1013, Æthelred fled to Normandy and was replaced by Sweyn, who was also king of Denmark. However, Æthelred returned as king after Sweyn died the following year. "Unready" is from Anglo-Saxon unræd, meaning ill-advised

995-7 Late transitional period - Æthelred II 'crux' type South Eastern mint bust type Fig 2 - Eadpold, moneyer

Bar headed bust left Voided short cross with C,R,V,X in angles

Obv + AEDELRED REX . ANGLO\X, written with seperate R & X

Rev + EADPOLD M : U CAENT - Canterbury mint

Æthelred the Unready, or Æthelred II,(c. 968 – 23 April 1016), was a king of the English (978–1013 and 1014–1016). He was a son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. His reign was much troubled by Danish Viking raiders. Æthelred was only about 10 (no more than 13) when his half-brother Edward was murdered and was not personally suspected of participation. But as the deed occurred at Corfe Castle by the attendants of Æthelred's mother, it made it more difficult for the new king to rally the nation against the invader, especially as a legend of St Edward the Martyr soon grew. Later, Æthelred ordered a massacre of Danish settlers in 1002 and also paid tribute, or Danegeld, to Danish leaders from 991 onwards. In 1013, Æthelred fled to Normandy and was replaced by Sweyn, who was also king of Denmark. However, Æthelred returned as king after Sweyn died the following year. "Unready" is from Anglo-Saxon unræd, meaning ill-advised

Roman votive figurine 48.34mm L, 14.68g

Medieval enameled religious belt end- IHS, initials for IESUS HRISTOS SALVATOR, Jesus savior of man - some red and blue enameling remains

Fourth coinage 1356-61 Edward III hammered gold 1/4 Noble Type C Annulet stops 1.96g, 20.36mm

Obv shield quartered with the arms of England and France within a treassure of eight arches - EDWARD GRA REX :ANG. . HY Cross 3(4 )

Rev EXALTABITAR IN GLORIA

Annulet stops

Stunning c 13thC Medieval engraved gold ring found by Idaho Travis - reported as treasure to the museum

1.23g, 19.50mm dia

Solid silver medieval vessica seal 62.1g, 21.96mm L x 18.81mm x 5.51mm W (excluding hanger)

3rd place was this was this rare Saxon silver coin found by Oregon Clarence

1050- 1053 Saxon - Edward the Confessor hammered silver penny - expanding cross type - heavy coinage ?

Obv EDWERD REX : +

Rev (Wulfsige) ON GIPESWIC (Short cross voided with expanding limbs) - IPSWICH MINT (GIPESWIC)

EMC 2008.0136.

1.63g, 19.87mm

'I have recorded it as EMC 2008.0136.

The portrait with two toggles on the mantle certainly differs from the types illustrated in North, but these illustrations were drawn in the the early 1960s to show the main types only. There are many variants, and the three other coins of this type, mint (Ipswich) and moneyer
(Wulfsige) in EMC/SCBI also have this portrait variant. I can send images of the coin to Gareth Williams, who is compiling a die study of the Expanding Cross type, and pass on his comments.'

'This is extremely interesting. It is very promising.

Gareth Williams has commented that the Ipswich coin 'seems to be from the same dies as one of our [British Museum] coins (1950,6-5, 1) and the same variation in the design is also found on two different obverses of Bruninc of Ipswich. However, it isn't a purely local variation, as the same bust appears on selected coins of Colchester, Gloucester and London, and a related variation at Dover, although these represent the minority of dies from the mint in each
case.'

Martin

English Saxon Thrysmas gold coin - 'Witmen type' c620 -650 AD - Recorded on Fitzwilliam museum Corpus database as EMC 2007.0302. 1.26g, 11.46mm

Circa 11000 BC Middle Stone Age (Mesolithic) flint axe head - one for the museum to evaluate

Dubnovellaunus Late 1st BC to Early 1stC AD Full Celtic gold stater

5.44g,17.57mm

CCI 07.1130.

Robert FitzWalter - enameled 13thC heraldic shield pendant

Or a fess between two chevrons gules

Robert le FizWater

In 1206 King John refused to agree to Pope Innocent III's choice of Archbishop of Canterbury after his own choice had been rejected. Because the king still challenged the pope, in 1207 he was excommunicated (not allowed to be a member of the church) and an 'interdict' was issued by the pope.

Because of the interdict, the churches closed and their bells fell silent. With the church doors locked, services could not take place. The dead had to be buried in fields instead of in holy ground. People could not marry in church and baptisms had to be carried out in church porches.

King John's excommunication also let off the barons from their oath of loyalty to him. Because they might rebel against him at any time, King John acted quickly against anyone who looked as though they might be disloyal. We know from the Medieval Chronicles that Robert FitzWalter, the 3rd Lord of Dunmow Castle, was accused of plotting to kill King John during a rebellion in 1212. The rebellion was quickly quashed. FitzWalter was outlawed and fled to France.

Eventually in 1213, the Pope told King Philip of France that he could invade England and King John finally agreed to the Pope's terms including his choice of Archbishop. Robert FitzWalter returned home and, with the other Barons, he made peace with King John.

This did not last long, however. It was found that FitzWalter was still plotting against the King and urging for the government to be reformed. Because of this, his home in London, the Castle of Baynard, was almost entirely destroyed

Taxes, during King John's reign, were very high and became ever higher.

In 1214, King John left England to fight a war in France. To make sure the army had enough supplies, the king's Regent of the time, Peter de Roches, raised a very big tax on the barons. The war was lost and, as in the story, on the Kings' return, Robert FitzWalter called a meeting at Bury St Edmunds Abbey where it was agreed that the King must agree to the laws and freedoms granted to the barons in the charter of Henry 1st, or they would declare war on him.

Robert FitzWalter led the Baron's army under the title "Marshal of the Army of God and the Holy Church." In the end, the King was forced to sign the Magna Carta at Runnymede on 15th June 1215. Several copies of the Magna Carta documents still exist.

Magna Carta means 'great charter'. To abide by Magna Carta, the King had to agree to certain laws and accept that his will was not above the law. It was not the first written document that put limits on the power of a king, but it was the first that was backed up by a council (of 25 barons) to try and make sure the king obeyed. It included a paragraph that said 'no free man shall be seized, imprisoned, disposed, outlawed, exiled or ruined in any way ? 'except by the lawful judgment of his peers?'

John did not sign the document willingly and never intended to keep to it. In September 1215, just a few months after signing the charter, King John sent a message to the Pope asking him to annul the charter. The Pope agreed and excommunicated the barons that had signed it.

As the fighting started again, FitzWalter slipped off to France and offered Prince Louis the English throne. Both Scottish and French armies invaded England. After fighting off the Scottish forces, King John's army changed direction to East Anglia, intending to quash the baron's rebellion. As his troops crossed the river Ouse on 11th October, they were caught by the rising tide and the crown Jewels sank into the Wash. Just a few days later, on 19th October, King John died at Newark.

At the time of his death, the French flag flew over East Anglia. However, a French King did not rule England as no bishop would crown Prince Louis and many of the barons, who had rebelled against King John, now gave their support to his nine-year-old son Henry.

When John became King on the death of his brother Richard in 1199, the treasury (money for running the kingdom) was nearly empty. His answer was to raise money through taxes and his reign was one of harsh laws and heavy taxes.

At the start of his reign, while he was away from England, he left Geoffrey FitzPeter in control as 'Regent'. He was a harsh man and did not worry about demanding heavy taxes and gave the local sheriffs a free hand to collect these by any means. He became very unpopular.

Like most Kings of the time John was ruthless. It was also claimed that King John killed his nephew, Arthur, in 1206, to make sure of the future of the throne. However, history may not have been very fair to King John. At this time the historians, or chroniclers, were mainly monks. These monks would have been in sympathy with the parties that King John was arguing with - that is the church and the rich estate owners (barons).

King John's reign was far from all bad for the country. Many towns such as Cambridge, Ipswich, King's Lynn and Norwich grew rich as they were given 'charters' and encouraged to govern themselves. The towns benefited from changes in the way taxes were paid and could get income from taxing market traders entering the town.

R. Turner 1994 argued that John "...had intelligence, administrative ability and he was good at planning military campaigns. However, too many personality flaws held him back". Unfortunately for King John, no king of the time could have run the country successfully without the support of the powerful Barons and Noblemen.

What of Matilda's supposed murder and her links with Robin Hood?

Robin and Marion
The monk, Matthew Paris, writing in his diary some years later in the 13th century, mentions the murder of Matilda. He records that in 1234/5, Robert FitzWalter died and that "?y his first wife, FitzWalter had, with other children, a daughter, Matilda the Fair, called 'Maid Marion,' said to have been poisoned by King John."

Matilda, his daughter, may indeed have been beautiful but very little is known of her life and death. After the rebellion of 1212, when FitzWalter and his family fled to France, it seems that he made his actions seem good, by saying the king was after his daughter and was plotting to kill his son-in-law.

King John was not a pleasant man, but many historians do not believe FitzWalter's story. Robert FitzWalter had a shady past. He had surrendered Vaudreuil in France to the French king in 1203 under suspicious circumstances. So, whether what he did was because of King John's interest in his daughter or came from a wish for more power is difficult to say.

The character of Maid Marion, like Friar Tuck, is not in the early ballads of Robin Hood. The character of Maid Marion probably came from an early French Pastoral romance ??he shepherd and shepherdess Robin and Marion'. Parts of this story and the Robin Hood stories probably merged and Maid Marion became Robin Hood's true love in the later versions of the legend.

It is in Anthony Munday's Elizabethan "Huntingdon" plays; written in the 17th century that Marian becomes an alias employed by Matilda FitzWalter. A popular romance at the time was the legend of King John pursuing Matilda, daughter of Robert FitzWalter. Robin Hood or Robin of Loxley, if such a person existed, was not a well-known Nobleman but most likely a wronged landowner, fighting to regain his family seat.

Dunmow Priory in Essex is said to be the resting-place of Robin Hood's Maid Marian. All that remains of Dunmow Priory is the present church of Dunmow; the south aisle of what was once a much larger building. However the story lives on, along with the many other tales of Robin Hood; and King John's jewels and royal regalia remain a treasure trove still to be found.

C10thC Saxon bronze key 10.41g, 40.88mm Lx19.58mm W x 6.30mm T

Find of the year

Season 2006 - 2007

107/8 BC Roman Imperial silver

18.10mm, 3.83g

1561-1582 2nd Issue, long cross mint mark - Elizabeth 1st hammered gold 1/4 Angel 1.16g,15.81mm North 1993

Obv ELIZABETH D G ANG FRANCIE

Rev ET HIBERNIE REGINA FIDE

Medieval gold ring 1.18g - 24.26mm dia, 2.65 mm D x 0.73mm thick

2nd C Roman bronze statue in uniform (possibly military) with toga over arm - some red enameling remaining 28.87g, 52.25mm H

Charles 1st 30 shillings 14.95g, 35.63mm

Obv - CAROLUS D.G MAGN BRITAN FRAN ET HIB REX B - Charles by the grace of God King of Britain France and Ireland B(riot)

Rev QUAE DEUS CONIVNXIT NEMO SEPARET - What God hath joined together let no man put asunder

'further to yesterday's email, yes, this is a rare silver unit of Cunobelin. The type is in recent volumes of 'Coins of England' (no. 310) but isn't in VA or the BMC catalogue. I've attached an image of the best of the six we already have here for you to compare.
Judging from the style and the very classical griffin it's a late issue, presumably 30s AD. Findspots are in Essex (4 including yours) and Suffolk (1), ie in the Trinovantian territory rather than the Catuvellauni.

I'll record it as CCI 06.0523. Congratulations on a rare find!'

Viling period - Thor's hammer pendant - silvered base metal 2.45g - 22.59mm L

EMC 2005.0229 found by NY Ken

King Offa - 780 - 792 King of Mercia hammered silver 1.27g, 16.67mm

OFFA REX (‘King Offa’) and, on the reverse side, Eð / IL / VA / Ld (‘Ethilwald’ - the moneyer who authorised the minting of the coin).

What a find - etched onto an amber coloured stone and set in silver.

The face is different depending on how the light hits it. It is probably a husband and wife memento , what an amazing find. Dated 18thC by museum ,found by Boston Bud

It's a denarius of the Emperor Vespasian (69-79 AD), minted in Rome AD 75.

Obverse:
IMP CAESAR VESPASIANVS AVG
Vespasian, his laueate head right

Reverse:
PON MAX TRP COS VI
Pax seated left, holding olive-branch, left hand at side.

Thanks to Jan de Veen of the UR forum for ID

Found by Cal Charles

28th April 2004 - Mass Bruce's axes win this years find of the year by popular vote - see the latest news page for more info

1500BC bronze age looped axe head hoard and ingots found by Mass Bruce

Saxon period gold coin 6th/8thC,Early Continental (Merovingian Francia) (584-750), Ruler: anon. (tremissis) (590-670) Type: Merovingian tremissis (500-675)found by Boston Bud