Drusus Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/6906482.stm A haul of Viking treasure unearthed in Yorkshire has been proclaimed the most important find of its kind in Britain for 150 years by experts at the British Museum. The haul was discovered by father and son David and Andrew Whelan while metal detecting in Harrogate in January. The pair described the find as a "thing of dreams". The pair kept their find intact and it was transferred to experts at the British Museum, who said it was a hoard of "global significance". The hoard contains 617 silver coins and 65 other objects, including a gilt silver vessel which dates back to the first half of the 9th Century. Experts said the treasure provided valuable new information about the history of England in the early 10th Century and Yorkshire's wider cultural contacts in the period. If you ever wanted to see a Viking hoard right out of the ground...nows the time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpnyc Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 I can only dream of coming across something like that. All I can say is WOW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
syzygy Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 That is so cool! Did you find any close ups of the coins there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stilson Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 The Whelan's did good keeping it whole. That would have been awful tempting to dig in to the pot some to check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TreasureGirl Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 Can't randomly dig up Viking treasure in America Very cool, though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Art Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 That's a wonderful find. I can't imaging finding something like that. I'd probably have a heart attack right on the spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drusus Posted July 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 The Whelan's did good keeping it whole. That would have been awful tempting to dig in to the pot some to check it out. I must say, I would have dug into that pot...I am weak!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 Let's give a round of applause for the Treasure Trove act that made this find possible to be researched, archived, cataloged etc instead of being piecemealed on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedeadpoint Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 I'd be tempted to ask for some sort of compensation. They are right and that is a find out of dreams. I'd want a keepsake of somesort. What are the rules and precedents of that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottishmoney Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 I'd be tempted to ask for some sort of compensation. They are right and that is a find out of dreams. I'd want a keepsake of somesort. What are the rules and precedents of that? That is the part of the Treasure Trove act that works in the finder's favour, they are compensated for the find, and significantly enough that people volunteer their finds. In that sense if they did something like the TTA everywhere, the coin collecting community would be in favour with archeaologists etc and not run afoul of the situation with the Cypriot thing. Coins found in Treasure Trove finds often do come to market, but after they are researched etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graikos Posted July 20, 2007 Report Share Posted July 20, 2007 Keep in mind that giving coins to archaeologists is not always a good thing. Last year on an excavation in western Greece we found a bag (in our items depot) that was supposed to contain coins from the beginning of the campaign 7 years ago. All that we found inside the bag was green powder. These things weren't looked at since 2000. Never the less, my heart bled when I found out how many other items, most of them coins and statuettes, are sold on the black market there. If something like the Treasure Trove would exist in my country, a legion of numismatists and archaeologists would be having steady jobs! A really beautiful find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill Posted July 21, 2007 Report Share Posted July 21, 2007 What a fantastic find and even more impressive because it was preserved for study and appreciation by a public audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dockwalliper Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 And I was happy when I uncovered 3 Sackies the other day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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