Biggest Hoard of Anglo-Saxon Gold Coins In England Discovered in Norfolk

Metal detectorists have uncovered the biggest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold coins to be found in England in recent years.

The extraordinary collection of 131 gold coins and four unidentifiable gold pieces were found in West Norfolk. The precise location of the land where the gold coins were discovered is a mystery as the landowner wishes to remain anonymous.

The majority of the gold coins where found by one metal detectorist whose name has not been revealed. The coins where found between 2014 and 2020. The rest of the coins were found by another metal detectorist who goes by the name of David Cockle, a police officer in the United Kingdom. Cockle allegedly concealed the discovery of the coins as he had planned to sell them later on. Cockle was eventually sentenced to 16 months in imprisonment in 2017.

The incident also ended his career as a serving UK police officer.

Two of the coins were sold however, the rest remain intact and a treasure inquest into the 1,400- year old collection of gold coins, buried around 600AD began on November 3, 2021, in Norwich, United Kingdom.

The majority of the coins are Frankish tremisses, and nine pieces have been identified as gold solidi, a large coin from the Byzantine empire which is highly valuable.

The golden objects are believed to include a gold bracteate, an embossed pendant, a gold bar and two other objects.

When the collection was buried, England was not a unified nation. It was split into various smaller Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

These included the Kingdom of the East Angles, which included Norfolk and Suffolk. This part of Great Britain is well known for significant archeological finds such as gold, bronze and various items that hold great historial value.

Previously, a large hoard of coins was found in a purse containing 101 coins. This was uncovered in Crondall in Hampshire in 1828.

The most popular uncovering from this era was the ship burial from Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, which was depicted recently in the Netflix film The Dig. This finding was believed to have come from items that were buried in 610 AD and 640AD.

The Sutton Hoo burial contained a purse with 37 coins, three gold discs and two small gold ingots. Many other gold items were discovered at this time.

Gareth Willaims, the curator of the Early Medieval Coins at the British Museum stated that this was a very important discovery.

"This is a hugely important find. It is close in date to the famous ship burial from Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, and although it doesn't contain as much gold as the whole of the Sutton Hoo Burial, it contains more coins. In fact it is the largest coin hoard of the period known to date. It must be seen alongside other recent finds from East Anglia and elsewhere, and will help to transform our understanding of the economy of early Anglo Saxon England"

Norwich Castle Museum plans to acquire the collection, the British Museum is in full support.

Tim Pestell, senior curator of archeology at Norwich Castle Museum and Art Gallery stated:

"This internationally significant find reflects the wealth and continental connections enjoyed by the early Kingdom of East Anglia. Study of the hoard and its findspot has the potential to unlock our understanding of early trade and exchange systems and the importance of west Norfolk to East Anglia's ruling kings in the seventh century."

Helen Geake, liaison officer for historical finds for Norfolk said,

"the west Norfolk hoard is a really remarkable find, which will provide a fascinating counterpart to Sutton Hoo at the other end of the Kingdom of East Anglia. It underlines the value of metal-detected evidence in helping reconstruct the earliest history of England, but also shows how vulnerable these objects are to irresponsible collectors and the antiquities trade."