“Indiana Jones” fan George Ridgway found a hoard of hundreds of historic coins, and it ended up being valued at over $176,000.
The 34-year-old and his long-time girlfriend, Ruby, formally instructed as an archaeologist, are celebrating their historic find, according to a Facebook post by Noonans Auctions.
“I was inspired by my childhood hero Indiana Jones to start history hunting when I was 4 years old, and I dreamed of finding a Roman hoard since my grandmother bought me a metal detector for my 12th birthday,” Ridgway said. “It was an awe-inspiring moment when I realized that I had found one!”
The hoard was found at Helmingham Hall in the vicinity of Suffolk’s Stowmarket, and was put on the auction block by Noonans Auctions. It sold for over $176,000, according to the BBC.
The hoard’s selling price is being divided by the landowner and Ridgway, the post reads.
When asked what the “Indiana Jones” fan planned to do with his newfound wealth, he replied, “Firstly, I would like to buy my dad a pint!”
Ridgway explained how he managed to find the “outstanding collection of over 680 Gold and Silver coins dating from as early as 206 BC right up to the emperor Claudius in 46/47 AD.”
“It was on September 8th, 2019, that I decided to investigate an unusual crop mark in a recently harvested barley field in Suffolk with my Garrett AT Pro metal detector. I knew that a Roman road ran close to the field and was hoping the two might be related, but after scouring the area nothing turned up,” he told Noonans Auctions.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 12: A man adjusts a tray of 35 Celtic staters discovered in Kent. Dating to around 55BC after Julius Caesar had conquered Gaul and attempted to invade Britain, the coins are expected to fetch around £20,000 at auction later this month, on September 12, 2024 in London, England. Two ancient coin hoards, discovered by metal detectorists in Suffolk and Kent are up for auction, valued at £75,000 and £20,000, respectively. Burying wealth in this way is believed to have been a common response to economic or societal instability, but today it attracts archaeologists and collectors. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
“I moved away 30 yards, and recovered two early Roman bronze Colchester type brooches dating from the mid 1st century AD. Another clear signal nearby from the detector then revealed a silver denarius, a coin that had been issued by Julius Caesar in 46 BC. I couldn’t believe that over the next 3 hours of searching, I found 160 more Roman silver coins, with a few of the coins stuck to pottery fragments,” he said to Noonans Auctions.
“I knew I had made an important archaeological discovery and called my dad to guard the site overnight while we waited for an archaeological team to arrive and excavate the site. It took three months to recover the hoard,” Ridgway continued.
“It was then that Iron Age gold coins of Cunobelin, the king of the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes started appearing,” he recalled.
Alice Cullen, Coin Specialist for Noonans Auctions, spoke about the historic find.
“This is one of the largest hoards containing both Iron Age coins and Roman coins found in Britain, with the latest coins of Claudius and those of Cunobelin in virtually as struck condition,” she said.
Cullen provided two possible scenarios that would explain why the hoard was buried in that location.
“The location of the hoard together with the date range suggests the coins may have been buried by a long serving Legionary soldier from the XX Legion, who were stationed at nearby Colchester,” she added. (RELATED: Kobe Bryant’s Last Warm-Up Jacket Fetches Big Bucks At Auction)
“In 47 AD the East Anglian Iceni tribe rebelled after the Roman governor Ostorius ordered them to disarm, resulting in a fierce battle that was likely held at Stonea Camp in Cambridgeshire, which the Romans won. Is it possible our hoard was concealed by a victim at this conflict,” Cullen said.
The British Museum, as well as Colchester and Ipswich Museums, secured 63 of the 748 coins discovered to add to their collections, according to Noonans Auctions.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
