A CHESHIRE detectorist has made the find of a lifetime in North Wales with the discovery of 15,000 Roman coins.
David Moss stuck treasure in a field in North Wales – which remains unnamed to deter further excavation – in September and has now sent the findings to Cardiff Museum for analysis ahead of its inevitable declaration as treasure.
David was working the field with his good friend and fellow detectorist Ian Nicholson were set the task of finding more items and then guarding them before experts could make it.
The 36-year-old’s find was promoted by the brand of detector he uses for his hobby – Minelab – and it is the second hoard he has found.
In 2018, while using his EQUINOX 800, he uncovered his first Roman hoard – around 3,000 coins sealed inside a clay vessel.
It was a discovery that changed everything.
“Something always told me there was more here,” David explained. “Thirty-five denarii felt too many to be a pocket spill.
“I’ve always had a feeling there was another hoard waiting to be found.”
Which proved to be true, working in an ‘virtually untouched’ field in the region with the two clay pots that contained the coins.
He added: “The MANTICORE picked it up perfectly,” said David.
“At that depth, I expected it to be iron, but I dug down and saw the edge of a clay pot filled with coins.
“My heart stopped.”
What they had uncovered was ‘truly remarkable’ – a mix of Roman denarii and silver-washed radiates, estimated at 10,000 to 15,000 coins weighing more than 60 kilograms.
A few days later, the pair returned to the same field and while investigating another faint signal, David dug just a few inches off-target and uncovered the edge of a second vessel lying close beside the first.
“We couldn’t believe it,” he said. “Two hoards in the same area, it was beyond anything we could have imagined.”
The pair, under guidance from local authorities, were granted permission to excavate the site themselves when experts couldn’t attend at short notice.
Working carefully, they recovered the hoards over six hours, documenting every step on video and collecting soil and rock samples for later study.
He was also full of praise for his tools. He said: “The MANTICORE is powerful, precise, and once you learn its language, it guides you to extraordinary finds.”
The hoard has been delivered to Cardiff Museum for expert analysis and conservation. Archaeologists are now studying the site, and the discovery is expected to be declared Treasure under UK law.
