A coin treasure worth three million crowns was discovered in the field behind the pub

Forty-year-old detectorist Luke Mahoney went out with his friends Dan Hunt and Matt Brown on Sunday, July 26, for a legal detector survey of a 15-acre field near Ipswich. He must have felt that he was going to be lucky that day, because he found a gold coin first thing in the morning and managed six pence before noon. But he was far from knowing what he could look forward to after lunch.

Upon returning to the field, the trio began to find coins almost "everywhere". They soon came across a very strong signal and found more coins and a plow-damaged ceramic pot in a trench about 60 cm deep. At that point they decided to stop searching and contacted the local liaison officer.

"We went to the field at about 10 o'clock. We had a few signals in the morning, then found a beautiful gold coin and a couple of sixpences. We went to a nearby pub for lunch. When we came back to the field, almost immediately I had this signal and dug up a coin of Charles I. Then I had another signal and another... They were everywhere. It was hell. After ten minutes of searching, I came across this massive signal and I thought: This is it! We were digging and we saw a pot. The feeling when you remove the dirt and see the coins is indescribable," said a happy Luke, who says he owes his find to his Minelab Equinox 800 detector.

Because it was not possible to send archaeologists to the site immediately, Mahoney patrolled the field for three days and two nights to prevent any possible "nighthawks" - so-called "nighthawks" - from getting into the field. "I stayed at the site for three days. I didn't sleep, I just sat there with my eyes open looking for nighthawks. I waited in my car all night, making sure no one tried to steal the depot. I'm still a little paranoid now," Mahoney said.

In total, 1,061 silver coins from the 15th to 17th centuries were found and recovered under the supervision of experts. Expert appraiser and numismatist Nigel Mills has examined some of the coins found and has tentatively determined that the set is worth at least 100,000 pounds (about 2.9 million crowns). The oldest coin in the set is a shilling from the reign of Elizabeth I, dating from 1573-78. The set also contained a larger number of Charles I coins dating from 1641-43. These were probably hidden in the ground by someone who lost his life in the English Civil War (1642 - 1651).

It is highly likely that the silver coin depot will be offered to museums for purchase after they have been officially valued by the coroner. If a museum expresses an interest in the coins and buys them, the finders will split the profits with the owners of the land and nearby restaurant, Charlie and James Buckle. "I want the coins to go to a local museum and I will split the money from their sale with my two friends who were with me at the find," Luke Mahoney concluded.

Roman Nemec

The 1,601 coins are worth at least £100,000 - about £2.9 million.

depot of 1601 coins from the 16th and 17th centuries

the feeling when you take the coins out of the clay is unbearable, said Luke Mahoney

coin depot in situ

Luke Mahoney

Luke Mahoney, Matthew Brown and Daniel Hunt in a happy moment soon after discovering the hoard

The treasure was discovered in a field behind the Lindsey Rose pub

Sources: eadt.co.uk, bbc.com, telegraph.co.uk, minelab.com