The Bredon Hills Roman Coin Hoard, Birmingham Museums: a window onto grassroots archaeology

Birmingham Museums On Demand (Photo: Press)

The story of the discovery of a stash of 3,800 Roman coins is part of a paid-for programme of talks available online from this month

Aside from ring pulls and rusty nails, metal detectorists in England and Wales each year unearth quantities of old coins, with the Bredon Hills Hoard one of the most impressive amateur hauls of recent times.

The story of this stash of 3,800 Roman coins, discovered in the Worcestershire countryside in 2011, launches Birmingham Museums On Demand, a paid-for programme of talks available online from this month.

In fact, Victoria Allnatt’s talk focuses on the role of Finds Liaison Officers like herself, archaeologists whose job it is to record and value artefacts found by members of the public while out walking, or digging the garden, but most often while using a metal detector.

These archaeologists work under the auspices of the Portable Antiquities Scheme, set up by the British Museum and National Museum Wales in response to the 1996 Treasure Act, to formalise procedures for people who unexpectedly strike gold.

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