Ancient coins: Retired policeman with metal detector unearths 2 BC coins worth £19,000

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The ancient coins were found on Saturday, March 13, buried in the village of Radomiresti, some 87 miles (150km) west of the capital, Bucharest. Police believe the coins are genuine although they have been sent off for authentication. Paul Durca, the retired police officer who stumbled upon the real-life buried treasure, dated the coins to the second century BC.

The coins or tetradrachms all bear a characteristic inscription typical of coins minted in the ancient kingdom of Macedon (Macedonia).

The coins are adorned with oak leaf motifs and stamped with the words “Μακεδόνων Πρώτης” or “Macedon first”.

According to Gabriel Vandervort of AncientResource.com, identical coins were minted between 167 and 149 BC at the Amphipolis mint.

The coins were minted from silver under Roman occupation and feature on one side the “Macedon first” inscription and the head of a deity or king on the other.

A thunderbolt sits just to the left of the inscription and the fabled club of Heracles (Hercules) cuts between the lettering.

Coins of this type are often sold on collector’s website and antiquities dealerships for hundreds of pounds each.

Londoncoins.co.uk, for example, lists a tetradrachm with the face of the Greek goddess Artemis for £280.

In total, Mr Durca uncovered 68 of the coins in Radomiresti, Olt County.

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He may have, therefore, stumbled upon a treasure worth at least £19,040 if not more.

The discovery was shared on Facebook, where local police said the retired officer is authorised to carry a metal detector.

After he dug out the first batch of coins, he notified the nearest police unit about his incredible discovery.

Romanian media quoted the policeman saying: “After counting twenty odd coins, I stopped and called the authorities.

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“It’s a favourite pastime. Today on the 13th, the goddess of fortune and all the gods of fortune were with me.

“I dug up 68 coins from the second century. Thank you, Lord.”

And this is not the first time a lucky hobbyist has come across a hoard of ancient coins worth a small fortune.

Earlier this year a bird watcher in the UK discovered a mix of Roman and Celtic-era coins worth more than £800,000.

The discovery was made in eastern England by an anonymous birdwatcher who found more than 1,300 coins.

The treasure was dated to about 40 or 50 AD.

The man said: “I saw the glint of gold and realised it was a beautiful Celtic gold stater, which made me sit down in sheer shock.

“I then spotted the second coin two feet away and rushed home to get my [metal detector].”

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