Roman coin hoard in Somerset blew past my target by 500 coins

I started working on a site near Taunton back in March 2022, hoping to find maybe 15 or 20 coins from the 3rd century. We pulled out over 1,200 bronze radiates, way more than any of us expected. The density of storage jars and pottery in that one pit made me rethink how many local farmers were hiding wealth during the crisis under Emperor Gallienus. Has anyone else seen a single feature completely change your timeline for a site?

2 comments

2 Comments

murray.cole1mo ago

1,200 coins from one pit? Jesus. That's mental. I'd still be picking my jaw up off the floor if I pulled that many rads out of a single feature.

kair651mo ago

Wait, is that even real or are they counting clad coins as rads? I've seen a few big pits in my time but 1,200 rads from one spot sounds like someone's stacking wheat pennies and war nickels to pad the count. If that's legit though, that's not just a good day, that's a retirement fund starter kit right there. You'd have to almost dig a hole to China to find a concentration like that around here. Most of my spots give me maybe 50-60 coins on a killer afternoon, and half of those are junk. Imagine having to clean and sort 1,200 rads, I'd need a month of free time just to get through them all.