Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

One wonders if they are worth face value given inflation. It would be a fun exercise to figure out their value in pounds sterling and then calculate what that number would be in the present.

That said, my kids and I buried 50 copper coins in a forest in the sierras, perhaps a thousand years from now the aliens visiting our dead planet will find them. :-(

Re: Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

#5

Post by nlh » Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 1:04 AM UTC

kadushka wrote: post #2

A thousand year old coin for $1000? That seems rather cheap.

(Professional coin nerd here)

You’d be surprised! It’s all about supply and demand. You can get very common Ancient Greek coins from 300 BC (eg ~2300 years old) for $50 these days. For example:

https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-phoenicia-s...

Of course you can also get rare ones for $thousands or $millions. All about who cares and how many there are.

Re: Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

#6

Post by hellavapid » Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 1:17 AM UTC

nlh wrote: post #5

kadushka wrote: post #2

A thousand year old coin for $1000? That seems rather cheap.

(Professional coin nerd here) You’d be surprised! It’s all about supply and demand. You can get very common Ancient Greek coins from 300 BC (eg ~2300 years old) for $50 these days. For example: https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-phoenicia-s... Of course you can also get rare ones for $thousands or $millions. All about who cares and how many there are.

wonder how much that coin is worth now vs how much it was worth in 300 Bc

Re: Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

#7

Post by freeqaz » Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 1:18 AM UTC

ChuckMcM wrote: post #4

One wonders if they are worth face value given inflation. It would be a fun exercise to figure out their value in pounds sterling and then calculate what that number would be in the present. That said, my kids and I buried 50 copper coins in a forest in the sierras, perhaps a thousand years from now the aliens visiting our dead planet will find them. :-(

It's have to be deflation for them to be worth more. The only thing here that would be the equivalent would be the value of the silver. I'm _guessing_ that the silver is worth like 1% of the valuation (from looking at the photos). Doesn't seem like it's 2500 kilos of silver (~$1100 per kg at current prices)!

Re: Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

#8

Post by boomboomsubban » Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 1:20 AM UTC

bdhdbebebeb wrote: post #3

So metal detection to search for historical artifacts is legal in UK, illegal in Ireland?

I don't know the laws personally, but different nations often have different laws.

Re: Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

#9

Post by scoot » Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 1:26 AM UTC

bdhdbebebeb wrote: post #3

So metal detection to search for historical artifacts is legal in UK, illegal in Ireland?

Yes, obviously it's legal in England, or the coins wouldn't have been found, reported, and ultimately sold, as per the article. It's also legal in Ireland.

There are prohibitions and licensing requirements in both countries for search of heritage sites, national monuments, and other protected sites, and reporting requirements for unintentional "heritage" finds.

Re: Hoard of coins from Norman Conquest is Britain's most valuable treasure find

#10

Post by boomboomsubban » Mon, Oct 28, 2024, 1:26 AM UTC

nlh wrote: post #5

kadushka wrote: post #2

A thousand year old coin for $1000? That seems rather cheap.

(Professional coin nerd here) You’d be surprised! It’s all about supply and demand. You can get very common Ancient Greek coins from 300 BC (eg ~2300 years old) for $50 these days. For example: https://coins.ha.com/itm/ancients/greek/ancients-phoenicia-s... Of course you can also get rare ones for $thousands or $millions. All about who cares and how many there are.

I understand rarity and all, but it's still strange that there are US pennies worth far more than these coins. It makes sense, but instinctively feels wrong.