Worcestershire races to secure historic Roman coin hoard
Museum aims to retain significant hoard for local heritage
Museums Worcestershire is on a mission to acquire the Worcestershire Conquest Hoard, one of the largest Roman coin hoards discovered in Britain, valued at £199,895 by the Treasure Valuation Committee at The British Museum.
The hoard, discovered in October 2023, consists of 1,368 Iron Age and Roman gold and silver coins buried in a pot. Dating back to circa AD 55, this remarkable collection offers insights into the Roman Conquest period and holds great archaeological significance.
Museums Worcestershire is collaborating with the Worcestershire Heritage, Art & Museums charity to raise the necessary funds. A public fundraising campaign has already generated significant interest, resulting in international donations and pledges from individual donors.
Deborah Fox, Museums Worcestershire Senior Curator, emphasised the importance of preserving the hoard for future generations.
She said, "We are working hard to raise the funds to ensure that the Hoard stays together in Worcestershire where it belongs. The significance of the hoard is in the coins’ relationships to each other and the stories they tell together about the Roman world’s activities and impacts. If the money can be raised, the hoard can be saved for Worcestershire today and for our future generations."
Efforts are underway to secure additional funding from national bodies to keep the hoard in the region. The museum aims to exhibit the hoard locally, allowing the public to engage with this intriguing piece of history.
The collection includes silver denarii minted between 157 BC and the reign of Emperor Nero (AD 54–68) and a gold Iron Age stater minted by the Dobunni tribe. These coins likely arrived with the Roman army, representing a considerable fortune at the time they were buried.
The hoard's origin is theorised to be the savings of a wealthy local farmer who profited from supplying the Roman army, marking Worcestershire's role at the edge of an expanding Roman Empire.
Museums Worcestershire has until September to raise the required funds to ensure this historic treasure remains part of local heritage, preserving another chapter of Worcestershire’s fascinating history.