Two men have been convicted of plotting to sell a hoard of Anglo-Saxon silver coins that were buried in an English field by a Viking chieftain in the ninth century.
Judge James Adkin adjourned sentencing until May 4 but told them: “You have both been convicted of what I consider to be compelling evidence of serious criminality, in relation to these artifacts. You are both aware of what the sentence is likely to be, imprisonment for years.”
The coins were dug up in a field at Eye, near Leominster in rural Herefordshire in 2015 but it is not clear if Best and Pilling—both keen metal detectorists—were responsible themselves or obtained them from someone else.
Four people have already been convicted for their roles in concealing the discovery.
The so-called Herefordshire Hoard—which was described as being of “immense historical significance”—was never disclosed to the local coroner and in May 2019 Best was arrested with three of the coins at a hotel in Durham after a police sting operation.
Following a trial at Durham Crown Court, Best and Pilling were convicted of separate charges of possessing the criminal property, which was thought to be part of the Herefordshire Hoard.
Best thought he was meeting a expert in metals who was supposedly working for a broker hired by a wealthy U.S.-based buyer but it was all a ruse.
When Pilling was arrested at his home in Lancashire a further 41 coins were seized, all of which were from the Herefordshire Hoard.
The coins are believed to have been produced by an Anglo-Saxon tribe in England between 874 and 879 but were in the possession of a Viking chieftain who buried them.
‘Theft of Our Heritage’
Gareth Williams, curator of Early Medieval Coins and Viking Collections at the British Museum, said: “The coins are very much part of our heritage. The theft of finds like this are not just a theft from the landowner, who have rights, it is a theft of our heritage.”Detective Superintendent Lee Gosling, who led the investigation, said: “This is an extremely unusual case, as it is not very often we get the chance to shape British history. It is astonishing that the history books need rewriting because of this find.”
Gosling said, “These coins come from a hoard of an immense historical significance relating to the Vikings and we are delighted that they are now with the British Museum.”
In September 2018 Best contacted a professor in the United States who was an expert on ancient coins and tried to persuade him to buy the coins that Pilling had acquired.
The professor contacted authorities in the UK and the police began a sting operation that led to the arrest of Best in May 2019 and Pilling soon afterwards.
In November 2019 George Powell, 41, and Layton Davies, 54, were jailed for more than 18 years after being convicted of theft, conspiracy to conceal criminal property, and conspiracy to convert criminal property at Worcester Crown Court in connection to the Herefordshire Hoard.
Under the Treasure Act someone who finds a rare coin or prehistoric weapon or tool must report it to the local coroner within 14 days.
An inquest will then be held to determine if it is “treasure,” in other words something of value which does not have an obvious owner.
A treasure valuation committee then determines the value of the discovery and a reward is split between the person who discovered it and the landowner.
TV Show Boosts Popularity of Metal Detecting
Williams said the success of a BBC TV show called “Detectorists” had inspired more people to go out and try to find treasure.Williams said: “The number of finds being legitimately recorded has massively increased. We need to assume the majority of materials are going through the system properly because there’s not enough showing up in sales to suggest there is a high amount of unrecorded material.”
“Some fantastic finds have turned up through the system and we would not want to give the impression that everyone in the museum world thinks metal detecting is a terrible thing,” he added.
Williams said: “The coins in this case have already begun to transform our knowledge and understanding of the political situation of the late ninth century. The coins show beyond any possible doubt that there was a political and economic alliance between Alfred and Ceolwulf II.”
