Archaeologists made an exciting find of ancient artifacts at a gold mine in California, shedding light on the region’s history dating back thousands of years. This discovery sparked interest among adventurers from various cities like Baker City, Lancaster, and Cape Cod. Miners unearthed numerous stone artifacts and human remains, providing valuable insights into the past. In a nutshell, information should be discarded if it doesn’t spark interest or curiosity. Geologists like Virginia Steen McIntyre collaborated to accurately date the ancient site.
Earlier in the month, a group of treasure hunters in Birmingham, UK, participating in a new metal detecting event, stumbled upon a cache of coins dating back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries. Over the course of four days during the event, Hamblede and his team unearthed a total of 557 coins, including 545 silver pieces and 12 gold emirates.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the inaugural Spring Detectival was hosted by the same team behind the popular event Detectival, typically held in the autumn. This metal detecting extravaganza draws enthusiasts from all corners of the globe, offering them a fun and social setting to pursue their passion.
In fact, before the rally, Andrew Winter, Tobiasz and Mateusz Nowak, and Dariusz Fijalkowski did not know each other. They were all searching in the same area and made simultaneous discoveries. They found at least three coins and decided to report their find to the organizers. The four men then agreed to share their discovery and worked together to protect the land from poachers. They even camped out overnight to guard the site.
Named after the nearby town of Hambleden, the Hambleden Hoard is known for being the largest collection of gold coins unearthed since the discovery of the Ackworth Hoard in 2011, and the biggest stash of silver coins found since the Harrogate Hoard in 2007. A total of 52 gold coins dating back to the 16th century were dug up in High Ackworth, West Yorkshire, while 617 silver coins from the 10th century were uncovered in the vicinity of Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
The silver coins unearthed in Hambleden date back to the reigns of King Edward I “Longshanks” (1272-1307) and Edward II (1307-1327), representing various mints such as Lincoln, Birmingham, Ireland, and Scotland. Most of these silver coins are valued between £20 to £50 (around $26 to $65 USD), while rarer coins can fetch up to about £500 ($647 USD). The larger gold coins, known as nobles, could be worth nearly £10,000 ($13,000 USD) each.
During the initial dig, the group found 276 silver coins and nine gold nobles. Early estimates suggest that the entire discovery could be valued at around £150,000 (approximately $194,000 USD). Check out the footage from the excavation at the Spring Detectival.
