Nearly 2000 Roman coins were found in a field in the UK by 2 metal detectorists. A Court heard from an expert at the British museum that they've been able to identify the following: Valerian, AD 253-60, 3 coins Salonina, 14 coins Saloninus, 1 coin Gallienus, AD 260-8, 130 coins Claudius II, AD 268-70, 164 coins Divus Claudius II, AD 270, 32 coins Quintillus, AD 270, 8 coins Aurelian, AD 270-5, 1 coin Postumus, AD 260-8, 1 coin Postumus (debased), AD 268-9, 6 coins Marius, AD 269, 1 coin Victorinus, AD 269-71, 188 coins Divus Victorinus, 1 coin Tetricus I, AD 271-4, 438 coins Tetricus II, 200 coins. However, the coins are unlikely to hit the market any time soon as the Royal Institution of Cornwall is interested in purchasing the hoard, which is currently being valued by the British Museum, but there is always hope they'll eventually get tired of having dozens of identical coins for the more common emperors represented in the hoard, and eventually sell some. There are only so many Tetricus repeats one can stomach. http://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/treasure-hunting-pair-unearthed-nearly-367139
It seems like every year we hear of at least 2 to 3 hoards comprising of 100+ ancient coins being uncovered somewhere in Europe by metal detectorists, and hundreds of individual coins or small piles of coins finds. And despite decades of people doing this, the finds still keep on coming. Makes you wonder how many ancient coins still remain burried. I'm sure in the UK alone there's probably 10s of thousands of Roman coins still waiting to be dug up. Which makes you realize just how many ancient coins were cranked out in antiquity. The Roman empire produced millions of coins eyery year, so if only half of 1% survived due to burrial in the ground, that's an awful large number of coins already found and an amazingly large number of coins still waiting to be found.
Good one. I've actually held off on more Gordians for now as I've found other more appealing 3rd Century Roman targets to go after. I just love 3rd century Roman coins, from the good silver, to the debased stuff, to the provincial coins of that era, and of course the break away empires, especially the Gallic Empire. I'll revisit Gordian III again, but probably after I fill two dozen more slots in my 3rd Century "Want List", complete my "12 Caesars collection" of which I still need 6, and complete my "Good Emperors Collection"...still missing Nerva.
I still have a few emperors I can afford to get that I still need, but many were so insignificant, I would rather get another Tetradrachm or a random medieval or early world modern. I still have that scattered collector mentality.
Yeah, I no longer consider myself a generalist. It seems like I've settled on fractional silver and bronze Greeks, Roman coins in general (but with a strong learning to 3rd Century), and Chinese and Parthians/Sassanians in the periphery to round things up. I'm going to be getting out of my medieval, Indian, and Islamics soon by selling them and refocus that money towards mainly 3rd Century Romans and some more Greek fractionals.
