Melvadius Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 BBC news is carrying this report of the discovery of 92 coins and other artefacts dating from the 9th or 10th century, well before this north-western part of England was integrated into the unified kingdom. A metal detectorist uncovered a Viking hoard of silver coins and artefacts in the Cumbrian countryside. The collection, which has been provisionally valued at tens of thousands of pounds, was found in an undisclosed site in Furness. It is being examined by experts at the British Museum and is expected to be declared as treasure. Experts at Barrow's Dock Museum hope to acquire the hoard and said it was an exciting find for the area. It consists of 92 silver coins and artefacts including ingots and a silver bracelet. Among the coins is a pair of Arabic dirhams. Experts believe it is significant evidence of material culture of the 9th and 10th Century Vikings in the peninsula. ....continued A longer article about this recent discovery can be read here in the Westmorland Gazette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 I should have included the Portable Antiquities Report which can be found here. It does contain an item of possible interest to the numismatists amongst us that ...Amongst the coins is a pair of Arabic dirhams - silver currency which circulated in 10th century Europe of which only 3 have been reported to the Scheme prior to this discovery... The full article starts: A Viking treasure hoard of silver coins has been unearthed in the Furness countryside. The find is being billed as 'the missing link' by experts who say it is the long-awaited significant evidence of 9th and 10th Century AD material culture of the settlers upon the peninsula. Furness bristles with place-names whose origins are Norse, for example Barrow, Yarlside, Roa and Ormsgill. prior to this discovery, coins and artefacts of varying antiquity have been discovered by metal detectorists and field-walkers in the recent past. In 2006 a solitary merchant's weight, thought to be Viking or a little earlier, was found in farmland between Barrow and Dalton, which sparked local interest. But this new discovery surpasses all previous Viking discoveries (designated as potential Treasure) for the region. It is the first time that such a significant amount of Viking numismatic material has been recovered from the Furness soil. This discovery indisputably links the area with the Norse mariners, and local history stands to be amended as a result. Previous Viking discoveries reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme in Cumbria, include the Cumwhitton burials (excavated in 2004 with help from English Heritage). ...continued Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ParatrooperLirelou Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 How much would they be worth? Anyway, Vikings is on the next on my list of historical periods I'll start getting into along with the Crusades and Arabic Civilization. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melvadius Posted July 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 Initial estimate is in the articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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