'Unbelievable' hoard of 29 Roman coins found by history buffs on Anglesey
Two metal detectorists are celebrating after finding an "unbelievable" hoard of 29 silver Roman coins on Anglesey - five months after unearthing another "amazing" collection of 400 Medieval coins in another part of the island.
Chris Evans, 47, and James Fraser, 53, discovered the 29 scattered coins in a field in the south of the island two weeks ago after they may have been disturbed during ploughing.
Chris said: "James found a silver coin and we hit a little area (and found more)." It is a scattered hoard and some are broken - possibly by the plough. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter - sent every Friday
They are in a ten-metre square area of land which is stony so they haven't sunk into the ground so were quite near the surface. Chris said: "It's the largest silver Roman coin hoard found on Anglesey. It's really exciting - the Romans on Anglesey!
"It's unbelievable - 2,000 years ago they were in the country being used to buy water, wine and probably grapes."
He said some of these 29 coins depict Hadrian, who was Roman Emperor from 117 AD to 138 AD, Hadrian's wife Vibia Sabina, and Septimius Severus, who was Roman Emperor from 193 AD until 211 AD.
The searchers are optimistic they are part of an even larger silver coin hoard and that they will find that main burial site nearby. They are denarius coins with one denarius said to be a day's wage for a Roman soldier.
Chris and James immediately reported their latest discovery to Gwynedd Archeological Trust. Chris said they may eventually be donated to the Oriel Mon Museum in Llangefni.
On December 28 last year, Chris and James found 436 Medieval coins in north west Anglesey. They dated from the time of castle builder King Edward I, who reigned from 1272 to 1307.
Chris said: "They are from France, Belgium and all over Europe. Some are from during the reign of Edward I and from Ireland and Scotland and of Robert the Bruce - Braveheart."
Currently they are in the National Museum Cardiff, formerly known as the National Museum of Wales, and Chris hopes they will be bought by Oriel Mon.
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