It started with a 23p find 8 years ago and then after much research, metal detectorist Day Moss found 37 Roman coins in North Wales which eventually led to a thrilling find of a hoard of silver coins. Then last summer in the same area, his detector indicated something and after some digging, with a pounding heart, he called over his fellow detectorist Ian Nicholson.
To their surprise a rainbow appeared over the dig site and when they saw the edge of a roman vessel containing coins, they stopped and called the Finds Liaison Officer. With no archaeologist available, they were given instructions over the phone on how to safely dig which took over 6 hours. They carefully wrapped the vessel, brought it back to Frodsham and Day slept with it in the car until driving down to Cardiff Museum.
This was the find of a lifetime until a few days later he did it again! This time an archeologist was available and this hoard joined the other in Cardiff for analysis – a total of up to 15,000 coins, possibly from 80BC-300AD and probably the biggest ever found in Wales. News of the finds went all around the world with Day and Ian appearing on TV.
Day runs Detect it Nation and runs digs with guidance and gives information on the many rules around metal detecting. They also support Alder Hay Hospital with toys and chocolates and £5000 of donations to date.
Would you like to discover hidden treasures? Or connect with fellow metal detecting enthusiasts? Visit the Detect it Nation website and Facebook page for more information on how to get involved and a list of their upcoming events.