Suffolk Man Finds 748 Historic Coins Worth £75,000

A metal detectorist, inspired by the adventurous spirit of Indiana Jones, has made a remarkable discovery in Britain, unearthing a hoard of over 680 historic coins. These coins, which date back to as early as 206 BC and extend to the reign of Emperor Claudius around 46-47 AD, are expected to fetch around £75,000 at auction after several museums selected pieces for their collections. The detectorist, Mr. Ridgway, initially searched a field near a known Roman road but found nothing until a clear signal led him to a silver denarius issued by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. Over the next three hours, he discovered an astonishing 160 additional Roman silver coins, some still attached to fragments of pottery, marking this find as one of the largest collections of Iron Age and Roman coins ever found in the UK. Mr. Ridgway's passion for "history hunting" began at the age of four, inspired by his childhood hero, Indiana Jones. His dream of discovering a Roman hoard was ignited when his grandmother gifted him a metal detector for his 12th birthday. The moment he realized the significance of his find was described as "awe-inspiring." Among the coins, a denarius of Gaius Caesar, known as Caligula, dating from AD 37-38, is expected to sell for between £2,000 and £2,600, while a denarius from Claudius is estimated to reach £2,000 to £3,000 at auction.