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METAL DETECTOR UNCOVERS TUDOR COIN HAUL

The following is an article in our local paper about a find a couple of miles away :-

METAL DETECTOR UNCOVERS TUDOR COIN HAUL

A METAL detector enthusiast has uncovered a hoard of Tudor coins.
Andy Whewell made the discovery of the 22 silver coins on farmland in the west of the Island. He turned them over to Manx National Heritage and a date will be set for an inquest to establish whether it is classed as 'treasure trove'.

MNH curator of archaeology Allison Fox said: 'The discovery is interesting and some conservation work and research will be done on the coins.'

It is 41-year-old Mr Whewell's second big find in three years – first hitting the headlines in March 2003 when he discovered hundreds of Viking and Anglo-Saxon coins on farmland in Glenfaba.

His latest find came on October 5.

'There are lots of people metal detecting all their lives and don't ever find one hoard, but I have found two in just less than three years now,' said Mr Whewell, of Peel.

'I think there is still plenty more out there to be found.'

The field in which he made this discovery had recently been ploughed, which Mr Whewell said helped churn up the coins.

He said it took him three days to uncover and gather the coins, which he predicts could date back to Henry VIIth and Henry VIIIth.

'I think it will go as treasure,' he added.

The law requires such finds to be reported to MNH for an inquest to find if it is treasure trove – an ancient law which allows the British Crown to claim an item of value whose owner cannot be traced. However, in the Isle of Man the Manx Government, through the agency of MNH, takes the place of the Crown.

Mr Whewell has always been interested in metal detecting, but only took up the hobby months before his first big find.

'I had a metal detector lying in the loft for years and I didn't find much with, it so decided to invest in a new one and fared better with that,' he said.

Ms Fox praised the prompt actions of Mr Whewell and the landowner for their co-operation.
04 November 2005
Tony Harmer
Web: www.tonyharmer.org

Comments

  • BSBS Posts: 1,318 ✭✭✭
    Cool, thanks for posting.image
  • lordmarcovanlordmarcovan Posts: 43,658 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Nothing like Brit detector tales to get my heart beating...

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  • 1jester1jester Posts: 8,637 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Nothing like Brit detector tales to get my heart beating... >>



    Mine too. I can't help but wonder what treasures lie at the crossroads of Europe--Poland, a land fought over for a thousand years.

    imageimageimage
    .....GOD
    image

    "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9

    "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." -Deut. 6:4-5

    "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." -Isaiah 33:22
  • MacCrimmonMacCrimmon Posts: 7,058 ✭✭✭
    Will Mr. Whewell receive the FMV of the coins in exchange for the Isle of Man impounding into a museum?

    Cool find, BTW.
  • JamminJJamminJ Posts: 1,413 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Mine too. I can't help but wonder what treasures lie at the crossroads of Europe--Poland, a land fought over for a thousand years. >>



    You could buy a metal detector and find out.image
  • UdoUdo Posts: 984 ✭✭
    I must get me such a metal detector image
    imageimage
  • nicholasz219nicholasz219 Posts: 1,386 ✭✭✭
    Yeah, methinks I must take up metal detectoring. I may draw even more abuse, but a few finds will be worth it.

    image

    Nick
  • sounds cool. Unfortunately for me, I live in an area where people have only lived for decades...so there is no realistic probability of finding something cool.


  • << <i>Will Mr. Whewell receive the FMV of the coins in exchange for the Isle of Man impounding into a museum? >>


    If the museums decide that they don't need them for their collections they will be returned to the finder. If they are kept as national treasures then the finder is paid the fair market value for the find.
  • The law on the Isle of Man is similar to the UK and the finder and landowner will share the reward .
    Tony Harmer
    Web: www.tonyharmer.org
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